Deviate
by MemoryOfNothing
Summary: There are some that simply never fit the status quo. Through racial barriers and lines never crossed, an unlikely group of misfits band together to face a threat greater than that any has ever seen before. Rated M for violence and suggestive themes
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue**

"We were brought here as servants. Servants. A glorified name for a slave in our case. Objects of pleasure beneath the touch of those who were willing to bid the highest gold for the night."

"We weren't people to them. Then again, their name says it all."

"Human."

"Such a disgusting word."

"Not all of us here are willing. Though perhaps some take pleasure in the things they do. Serving their… _suitors_ … so well to the point that those same suitors return day after day."

"But not I."

"I did not come here of my own will. They brought me here in a brig. Chains to shackle my wrists and ankles."

"What I did before, you ask? Not a question I will answer for you. But one that I am certain will be revealed in an untimely manner enough."

"I suppose it was only fitting, though… That they tossed me to the streets from the brothel doors. As far as they are concerned, a castanic unwilling to serve is a castanic of no worth."

"A blessing and a curse to be frank. Rather naive of me to even think for a moment that humans in this land would consider hiring a castanic for anything other than sex."

"And since such is the case, what little is left is for a castanic to steal in order to survive."

"Thus I am here."

"Good enough?"

"…"

"You aren't sorry at all."

"Of course not."

"…"

"I was going to be lenient on your sentence. Perhaps if you showed some regret or remorse, but it seems that your case is lost. It seems the only place for you to go now is to the arena."

"Arena?"

"The gladiator arena. Your use will at least come in the form of entertainment for the masses."

"…"

"I look forward to it."


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER ONE: SLAYER**

Hooves clattered along a cobblestone road as a lone carriage drew away from the Velika prison. Contained within was none other than the same lone castanic from the night before. Her face was expressionless. Emotionless. Unreadable. She knew full well where she was headed. A glorified execution that was nothing more than a means to entertain the savage masses. But that wasn't the real question.

The real question was…

Was she worried?

Before long, the carriage came to a halt in front of the large coliseum. From half a kilometer away, the prisoner could hear the roars of the crowd as whatever was going on within those walls had them cheering. Moments later, the door to the rear of the carriage sounded with a light click before the door swung open.

Three armed guards were there to greet her as she stepped out into the sunlight; the white haired castanic squinting her eyes against the harsh glare of the sun.

"Move it." One of the guards barked rather gruffly, giving her a nudge with the staff of his spear.

For a moment, the castanic locked gazes with him, her eyes cool and cold, almost daring him to do such a thing again.

Wisely enough, he didn't.

A second later, the woman moved of her own accord, strolling leisurely into the open gates of the coliseum. The guards around her limited which direction she could walk, but if anything was evident, it was that it was the prisoner that was setting the pace at which they moved.

Thankfully enough, they didn't need to move far. Moments later, the entourage halted in the main staging area for the colloseum. Outside, the sound of some sort of animal engaged in ferocious combat could be heard. The ooh's and ahh's of the crowd gave hint to the skill of whoever it was that was engaging the beast in conflict. It wasn't until the castanic felt a pair of hands close on her arms that her attention was drawn back to herself.

Instinct told her to rip herself free… but she didn't.

Moments later, there was a clang as the cuffs about her wrists and ankles fell free. She blinked for half a second, confused with her sudden freedom, but it was far from something to complain about.

"… She's yours to keep watch over now. Her execution is next on the list. Until then, you may do as you please."

Once again, the castanic's attention was drawn to a pair of men standing off to the side of the room. It was one of the guard captains speaking with what looked like one fierce woman, clad in functional yet very ornamental armor. The two exchanged a few more words before the guard captain signaled to the three other men, and they promptly fell into line, exiting the coliseum with haste.

"Hey." The red headed woman called out, her fiery gaze directed towards the castanic's direction. "Take a seat with me, yeah?"

The castanic merely met the woman's gaze with an unemotional and unreadable gaze; the horned woman refusing to move from her spot.

"Suit yerself." The red head merely shrugged as she sat herself down on a wooden table.

"Name's Athena. I guess I'm what ya might call the leader of the gladiators around here. You got a name?"

Once again, the white haired castanic replied with silence, though this time, she did move to the nearest window, her cool gaze fixating on the battle occurring in the sandy coliseum.

"A quiet one, eh? What'd they drag you in here for?" Athena inquired, doing her best to sound friendly.

"This. And I'm not in a brothel." The castanic spoke up for the first time, taking a moment to gesture at the horns on her head. Her voice was strange to Athena's ears, the tone strangely harsh and almost scratchy, yet holding a strength that seemed unbreakable.

"That's shitty." Athena commented as she rose from her seat, bringing a pair of drinks with her. "Drink?"

One glance at the items Athena had in hand and the woman turned her attention back to the coliseum once again.

"Don't trust me, eh?" the red head commented dryly. "Can't say I blame ya. But then again, it's probably the last drink you'll ever get. You sure you don't want it?"

Silence came as a reply again.

With a shrug, Athena took a sip from her own glass of wine before setting the other glass down on the window sill. The action drew the castanic's attention, but surprisingly enough, rather than reach for that glass, she turned reached for the one in Athena's hand.

Instantly, a chuckle escaped Athena's lips.

"Alright, alright, I get it." Athena laughed as she relinquished the drink in her hands, instead taking the one on the window sill and taking a hefty gulp. The action displaying that neither drink was tainted in any way.

For a moment, the white haired woman held the glass of deep red wine in her hands, smelling the fragrant wine for a moment before taking the smallest of sips; barely gracing her lips with the faintest of tastes.

It was a fine wine to say the least; its texture and taste were exquisite. A luxury to be sure.

Silence settled between the two women as the ooh's and ahh's of the crowd once again filled the air. Once again, the castanic's cold gaze surveyed the battle between them.

Then again, it was more of an insult to even call such a thing a battle.

"That man…." The castanic spoke up, her tone low, "What is his name?"

"Oh, him?" Athena quickly picked up the conversation, "That big guy out there's name is Hurk. He's a strong one. Swings around that big broad sword like it's nobody's business."

The castanic turned her gaze away for a moment before muttering beneath her breath.

" _How cruel_."

"Cruel?" Athena inquired, able to pick up on such muttered words.

"To the animal." The white haired woman answered, an annoyed edge seeping into her voice.

"Well it's just a sport, really, he's just putting on a show for-"

"He is wounding that bear. Hurting it with those swings that cut not deep enough to be fatal."

"… Well… I mean it's just-"

"Cruel." The castanic interrupted coldly, causing Athena's lips to press into a thin line as she withheld from further commentary.

Again, the crowd ooh'd and ahh'd as the burly gladiator in the arena inflicted yet another wound on the animal.

Silence settled between both women as they mutedly watched the lurid display out in the arena, Hurk inflicting more and more wounds on the animal as it became increasingly incensed and furious; the creature lashing out blindly in defensive and panicked rage. But it was all in vain. In the end, the animal lay slain, bloody, broken, and dead at the gladiator's feet.

The cheers of the crowd nearly deafened all other sound as Hurk raised his bloody blade to the skies in proclaimed triumph.

All of this was watched by those cool eyes; the castanic completely unfazed by the bloody display.

"What awaits me out there." She finally inquired to the red head beside her. Her words sounding more like a statement than a question.

For a moment, Athena seemed to pause. It was almost as though she were avoiding such a topic.

"Well… It's a public execution so…" She started rather haltingly.

A subtle hint of impatience crossed the castanic's face as her gaze turned to cross Athena's.

"Alright, alright." Athena spoke up, holding her hands up in surrender, though the look on her face was clearly one that seemed more offended by the fact that her prisoner wasn't appreciating her hospitality.

"The executioner we use is a dracoloth that used to terrorize the local mountainside." Athena continued quickly afterwards, "I mean look, I didn't want to tell you what you were in for, but… At least it will be quick."

After saying that, Athena expected to see some form of fear or terror in the castanic's eyes, but surprisingly enough, there was yet again, nothing more than that cold look in her features.

"Do I get anything." Came the castanics cool reply.

Athena blinked at the question, clearly not prepared for such a thing. After seeing so many public executions, she was expecting the woman to break down in tears and beg for her life or something. But this woman? She stood fearless… Calculating…

Or perhaps it was just stupidity?

"Ahem."

"Ah- erm… right. I mean the prisoners are usually dressed up in the usual ornamental armor, but I'll be frank, that armor's kinda useless. More for show than for function." Athena spoke up rather hurriedly, "I could show you if you'd like."

Unlike what Athena was expecting, which was a cold refusal of her offer, the castanic yet again surprised the red haired woman by promptly setting down the still filled glass of wine in her hands and tilting her head slightly with expectation for Athena to lead her.

"Right. This way then." Athena stated as she wheeled about on her heel and started off at a brisk pace.

Moments later, the two rounded a corner and came into view of a bloodied set of armor. To say such a suit was functional would have been an insult to just about everyone in the entire city. It protected little, and for the particular female set of armor, had more gaps to show flesh than it did armor to protect.

Per usual, the woman said nothing, though the look in her eyes simply expressed her displeasure.

"And these?" She continued, moving along the wall towards a set of various weapons that matched the set of armor.

"Oh. Those." Athena commented, "Yeah, you get to take one in there with you if you want. Though most people opt for that one over there."

As the red head spoke, she motioned towards a thin strip of black cloth hanging on the wall.

Needless to say, an eyebrow raised on the castanic's forehead.

"Some people don't want to see their death coming." Athena explained, "Blindfold is one way to do that. Well, either way, you're up next. Let's get you suited up."

Before the castanic could voice protest or suggest otherwise, two large, overly muscled men appeared from behind her, one of them shoving her roughly towards the wall and closer to the bloodstained ornamental armor on the wall.

The woman hissed and leered in response to such treatment, but the baring of her fangs seemed to do little without the cold and overbearing gaze of her eyes. By the time she turned back to the armor on the wall, she found the chest piece already missing from its mantle, instead the item was in the hands of Athena.

"No use dallying, yeah?" The red head commented, something between a sad look on her face marred with one that had been through this process far too many times.

Wordlessly, the castanic took the chest piece and swung the item over her head. As she buckled the armor into place, however, she deliberately made sloppy work of securing the item. Thankfully, nobody seemed to notice. The process was repeated for the rest of the armor, greaves, and gauntlets. With her form covered in what pathetic excuse for armor the ornamental set was, the woman turned back to Athena with that gaze of unreadability on her face.

"Well, ya get one of these. What will it be?" Athena asked with a sigh as she gestured at the wall which was lined with various daggers, blades, swords, even a mace or two. "Or will it be the blindfold?"

Before the castanic could answer, a loud bang and raucous applause erupted as the door to the staging area slammed open and a rather familiar looking burly man strolled into the room. On his back was a large broadsword, stained with fresh blood from a recent kill.

Hurk.

"Oh! Hey there big guy. Nice work out there." Athena called out, her attention completely drawn away from the task at hand. "Quite a show you put on, had the crowd really going."

"Hah! Child's play." Hurk boasted rather cockily, his voice loud and rambunctious. "Maybe I'm not as fast as you, 'thena, but hey, there's enough muscle here to make up for it, eh?"

"You wish it was like that, don't ya?" Athena laughed, teasing her friend rather jokingly.

With a shake of his head and a loose laugh, Hurk moved to the table and snatched the pitcher of water before dumping himself a messy mug, somehow managing to spill over half of the contents of the mug as he lifted the water to his lips.

Moving closer to Athena, Hurk strolled his way over as he spoke.

"So what are you up…" Instantly, he froze as his eyes settled on the lean figure of the woman clad in the bloodstained armor. "…oh…"

"Ah right, introductions, this is uh…." Athena immediately stopped as she realized that she still hadn't managed to get the castanic's name. "Well doesn't matter I guess, you know what she's in for…"

"Yeup… ye' ole drake…" Hurk stated, though he didn't exactly seem saddened by the fact that the castanic before them had a death sentence.

While both Hurk and Athena were conversing, however, the castanic had taken her time to observe the array of weaponry before her. The quantity might have been nice, but saying that the quality was that of an apprentice blacksmith would have been an overstatement. All of the weapons were dulled, the edges purposefully taken away as to not be a threat even if a prisoner got their hands on them when they weren't supposed to. It wasn't until the woman pulled a large two handed blade from its mantle and let the point fall into the floor with a solid _clunk_ that attention was drawn back to her.

It was a rather puzzling sight to say the least, such a seemingly lean and thin-framed castanic opting for a great sword that stood almost as tall as her shoulder.

Silence seemed to follow as the white haired woman traced her fingers along the hilt and handle of the blade until Hurk spoke up in a jeering voice.

"Bit big for ya aint it? Not compensating for something are you?" Hurk laughed along with all of the other people in the room.

Cool and collected as ever, the castanic merely ripped the sword from the floor before clasping the hilt in a single hand and dragging it along the floor as she moved towards the door. As she stepped up beside Hurk, however, she paused for the briefest of moments.

In an instant, hands began to draw closer to hilts as they expected the castanic to lash out in vengeful fury….

But instead, the woman's lips cracked open ever so slightly.

" _The same could be said of your dick."_ She whispered in a voice that was so very soft and yet seemed to fill the entire room.

Instantly, everyone seemed to freeze as though they couldn't believe what they had just heard. Even Athena brought hand up to her mouth to keep herself from bursting out laughing at how their prisoner had managed to muster up enough spunk to give Hurk of all people a good tongue lashing.

His face burning red with embarrassment, Hurk let out a growl and immediately reached out to wring the castanic by her neck… only to be stopped by Athena's swift hand.

"Alright, that's enough fun for today. Cool it, big guy, you just had your fun, aight?" The red head brushed the entire situation away before things could escalate into a premature execution.

"Tch!" Hurk spat angrily, clearly displeased that he wouldn't be the one to rip the woman's throat out himself. "Lucky it's not me that is your executioner."

The white haired woman didn't even spare Hurk a backwards glance as Athena gently nudged her forwards. Perhaps it was strange to Athena, the castanic so oddly composed, no fear of what awaited her out beyond those doors. But as the pair pushed out the door and into the corridor that lead down to the center field of the coliseum, the red headed woman finally voiced her thoughts.

"Well, on you go…" Athena stated as she lowered the hand that she had been using to nudge the castanic in the right direction. "Maybe a better roll of the dice in the next life, eh?"

Wordlessly, the horned woman merely turned and settled that cool gaze of hers on the red headed woman.

"Y'know, most people are shaking in their boots when they walk down here…" Athena commented, "It's a first for me to see someone like you who hasn't even batted an eyelash this entire time."

"I fear not death when it comes for me." The woman finally broke her silence, "Though I have my doubts as to whether today is that day."

Before Athena could press further questions or conversation with the castanic, the white haired woman turned and continued along the corridor; nothing but the sound of her oversized sword dragging along the floor to fill the silence.

"Not today?" Athena muttered to herself. Did that thin framed girl truly believe that she would emerge from this event alive? Nobody had gone toe to toe with a dracoloth and came out on top…

"Sorry kiddo… This is life, not some hero's story…" Athena murmured as she turned on her heel and headed back the way she had came.


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER TWO: DRACOLOTH**

Dust wafted across the coliseum as the castanic took her slow pace towards the middle of the field. Inwards, she was calm… Outwards…

Well, not as calm, mostly because the crowd was throwing tomatoes at her. It was a spiteful act; the masses jeering and booing her as the rain of rotten red food pelted from above. For now, she endured. Her rage and anger building, but being channeled away and stored for another time.

Before she even reached half field, however, the massive gates on the opposite side of the arena clanked open. Instantly, the crowd roared in approval and the pelting food ceased.

" _Drake-Drake-Drake!"_

" _Drake-Drake-Drake!"_

The crowd roared from around the castanic. Already, they were calling for what they believed was the inevitable.

Gradually, the castanic's legs slowed in pace before coming to a stop, a good ways towards the center of the arena. Her eyes flicked from one side to the other, observing the crowd around her for hints of the coming battle….

But the hint was unneeded. Slowly, gradually, the cheers of the audience died down until the sound gave way to a drumming noise, the masses stamping their feet on the floor as though creating a dramatic buildup for the coming beast. Until finally-

 _-RAARRRRGHHHH!-_

A horrendously violent sounding screech sounded from within the darkness of the gates. From within, the castanic caught a glimpse of movement…. A shift… A writhing mass… Until finally the dracoloth burst forth into the blinding brightness of the sun. Instantly, the crowd roared with approval, the massive beast rearing up on its hind legs and letting out a bloodcurdling cry. Fear was the natural response to such a display, the massive half dragon's appearance akin to that of a demon or something that came from the nether realm. Its horns were stained with blood, its fangs razor sharp and bared viciously as the creature searched for its prey.

At last, it's hellish eyes settled upon the woman standing in the distance. Her form clad in the armor which signified only one thing.

Food.

Letting forth another shriek, the dracoloth raked its clawed talons through the sandy coliseum floor; a menacing display of raw strength and brutality as its muscles flexed and curled beneath its thick and scaly skin….

And yet through it all, the castanic only let out a small breath. In that breath, there was but a small voice that whispered into the wind.

" _You poor thing_ …"

While the masses and almost everyone else saw a savage beast that was ready to devour and destroy whatever stood before it, the castanic saw a creature whose will had been forced into subjugation. Scars littered the dracoloth's body, its wings were clipped to handicap its ability to fly. It wasn't some sort of beast that was wild and untamed.

It was a slave.

As the beast reared its head and let forth another bone chilling roar, the castanic only let drew a slow and even breath. Her senses heightened, one of the castanic's hands drifted free of the sword's hilt. To her armor, her slender fingers slipped to, undoing the buckles and knots that held the item in place. Her movements were swift and deft, something that no untrained individual could ever do.

 _-RAARRRRGHHHH!-_

The dracoloth shrieked again, this time lowering its horns and leering into the eyes of the castanic.

At last, the inevitable came.

In a thundering leap, the half dragon surged forwards with the speed and savagery unlike any other. Spittle flew from its open jaws as it bared its fangs in preparation to sink into the flesh of its prey…

And yet, with a single swift tug, the castanic set her own movements into action. Slipping out of the cumbersome chestpiece that offered her no protection, the woman flung her armor piece like a projectile, sending the ornamental armor flying towards the dracoloth.

The beast, however, reacted quickly; it's jaws snapping open and chomping down on the armor, piercing the item like it were nothing but paper beneath its mighty jaws.

From around the stadium, the crowd lit up with roars and shouts, their collective bloodlust eager to be sated. For what they believed, the castanic had only made herself more vulnerable.

In truth? The battle was only beginning.

Free of the heavy chest piece's weight, the castanic kicked off her lightly secured boots, further lightening her load before doing perhaps the last thing anyone could have expected her to do.

She charged head long straight towards the salivating dracoloth.

What seemed like a foolhardy rush straight into the maw of death was in fact the most calculated move almost anyone in the entire arena had seen.

Just as the arena lit up with a cheer for what they expected to be an impaled castanic, skewered by the horns of the dracoloth, the white haired woman dropped and ducked into a graceful slide at the last possible second. Above her, the dracoloth's jaws snapped shut, clamping down on nothing but thin air in the space that the castanic had occupied just moments before.

Beneath the dracoloth's body, the castanic slid, cleanly gliding between the creature's legs before flinging herself into a roll off to the side. Once again, the move was calculated to an unmatched degree, as the dracoloth's barbed tail came smashing down into the sandy ground where the castanic would have been had her direction not changed so suddenly.

And yet, the fight was far from done. Before the creature could whip its head around, the castanic sprang out of her roll and back to her feet; the woman stumbling slightly as blood trickled down the side of her hip and leg, the coarse sand scoring and chafing her skin during her seemingly reckless slide. But regardless of the pain, the castanic pushed her body forward, using her momentum to her advantage to rush directly towards one of the arena walls.

From around her, the arena which had 'oohed' in surprise with her movements immediately broke out in laughter. But once again, what they observed to be a pointless attempt to free from the inevitable was in fact another calculated move.

Turning her head back to keep the dracoloth in the corner of her eye, the castanic perfectly paced her sprint towards the wall, keeping her speed at an even rate to time her actions to absolute perfection. By the time the beast turned and let loose another blood curdling roar, the castanic had almost reached the stadium wall.

Perfect.

With less than twenty meters between her and the wall, the dracoloth once again charged head long towards the castanic. But the castanic's pace didn't stop. Still, the distance between woman and beast dwindled as the dracoloth rushed towards its prey. The dracoloth's speed only grew ever faster as its momentum increased.

Thirty meters…

Twenty…

Ten…

At last, the castanic sprang into action. Without slowing her pace, the woman flung her sword like a counter weight, using the blade's mass to her advantage as she catapulted herself into the air, the sword acting almost like a vault for a massive jump. Up to the wall, the castanic flew, her feet planting against the stadium's rough walls before the woman kicked herself upwards even further. The movement was so sudden, the elevation so quick; performed with a grace and speed that even a seasoned fighter couldn't match.

And if a seasoned fighter couldn't match it, what chance did a creature as unintelligent as a dracoloth have against such a tactic?

With the castanic suddenly surging upwards with a vertical acceleration so swift and sudden, the dracoloth attempted to raise it's had while it charged towards the castanic.

Futile.

A dracoloth stood tall before most creatures, its head and neck had long since evolved into a position that allowed it to tower above and stare down upon its prey.

Simply put…

It couldn't look up.

Unable to stop its own momentum, the creature could do little before its own head and horns smashed into the stadium wall with a tremendous crunch. The strength of the impact alone creating a massive bang while sending a shockwave into the stadium walls.

Perhaps to a normal creature or a human being, the strength of such blunt trauma to the skull would have likely been enough to cause brain damage. To a dracoloth, however, the impact was only enough to temporarily stun the beast.

Unfortunately, such a moment of vulnerability was all that was needed.

Turning midair in her jump, the castanic brought the massive blade in her hands into a tremendous arc. Upwards… and finally, downwards.

Using her weight and gravity to her advantage, the woman bared her teeth and let out a savage warlike cry of her own before swinging the blade with as much force as she could muster. The blade may have been dulled, but its weight and lethality when swung with such speed was just enough.

With a sickening crunch that turned into a squelch, the castanic's great sword sank into the vulnerable neck of the dracoloth. Blood exploded from the wound as the blade severed deep into the creature's flesh.

What the castanic was aiming for was a complete guillotine…

Unfortunately, she couldn't quite get it. Because the blade she had been given lacked a razor's edge, the weapon instead got lodged deep in the creature's neck. The force of her own downward momentum caused the castanic's own weapon to be wrenched from her grip; the woman flopping to the floor as her sudden disarmament caused her to loose balance.

Such a flaw would have meant certain death….

Except this time, the dracoloth remained frozen in place.

Attempting a desperate recovery, the castanic rolled to her feet before immediately setting her eyes on her supposed to be executioner.

It didn't move.

Or at least the body didn't.

Furious, panicked eyes tracked all of the castanic's movements as she rolled to her feet, yet the dracoloth remained frozen in place. Life clearly filled the creature's eyes, and yet it was frozen as though it couldn't move…

Indeed, the creature _couldn't_ …

At last, the realization of what had occurred finally dawned upon the castanic. The dracoloth was still alive, yes…

But its spinal cord had been severed.

Nothing the creature demanded its body to do was reaching those powerful muscles that composed its terrifying form.

If what the humans had done to capture the beast and place it in such a coliseum had been cruel, what the castanic had done was ten times worse.

She had killed the beast, and allowed the creature to understand its own death.

Already, when the castanic gaze upwards into those usually fearsome eyes, the woman could see the creature's pupils dilate with terror.

Numbly, the white haired woman shut her eyes and looked away before she wrenched her own eyes open and nimbly clambered up the dracoloth's body until she stood before the weapon lodged in the creature's neck.

"… Forgive me…." She whispered to the creature as she knelt down and placed her hands on the hilt of the blade.

" _Forgive me_ …" She repeated, and finally wrenched the item free of the creature's neck.

Death was swift from that point on, the strength and power within the dracoloth's body vanishing in an instant as its life vanished. To the floor, the corpse crashed, leaving nothing but the lone, blood covered castanic, standing in cruel victory.


	4. Chapter 4

**Bloodstained**

Silence was golden. Silence was power. Silence… Was deafening.

Alone in the middle of the arena, the castanic remained, all eyes riveted on her form and bloodied blade as she stood before the corpse of the slain dracoloth. The warm summer air flowed through the stadium, caressing the crowd with a gentle breeze. But to the castanic, whose eyes were riveted on the dracoloth she had just slain, the wind was but a breeze that carried away the creature's soul.

For a moment, it seemed impossible. A single, thin framed woman had taken down the beast that had terrorized the mountainside around the city. A beast that had taken twenty guards to subdue and finally capture…. And yet this woman had felled the mighty creature with nothing more than a dulled blade.

It wasn't until the woman moved in her place, her face partially smeared with splatters of blood and her hair stained with crimson that the crowd seemed to draw a collective breath.

And yet, while the entirety of the masses eyes gawked in dumbfoundedness, a single woman's eyes settled upon something else. A tattoo. And it wasn't a small one either.

Across the castanic's entire back, what looked like a mirage of tribal artwork spread across the woman's shoulders and spine. To any other person, it would have just been another savage body art… But to Athena, it brought something else.

Horror.

In an instant, the red headed woman dashed out the door, sprinting for the colleseum master's quarters. The fight couldn't continue. She knew what was next, and while the masses expected the castanic's execution, Athena alone knew full well that it was the exact opposite that was going to happen.

As she ran, Athena swore beneath her breath. How had this happened? How had such a woman come to this land?

Shaking her head, Athena doubled her speed as she dashed her way towards the master's quarters. Already, however, she could hear the audience began to murmur. That murmur became a din… a roar… until the entire stadium had finally reared back into life. Some members of the audience applaueded. Others were jeering and continuing to call for the woman's death.

 _Idiots!_ Athena mentally swore to herself, praying to the goddess that she would arrive quickly enough.

Alas, as her fingers closed upon the door that led to the master's quarters, her ears were met with the last thing she wanted to hear.

"BRING FORTH THE EXECUTIONERS!" A loud and powerful voice sounded above the din of the crowd. Instantly, the crowd roared with approval, but Athena did the opposite.

"No… No. No! NO! NO! NO!" The red headed woman panickingly shouted as she finally wrenched the door open and surged into the room. Her abrupt entry immediately brought surprised looks from the people around, but Athena ignored him. In an instant, she dashed to the quartermaster's side and yanked him to attention.

"Stop the fight!" She gasped panickingly, "You have to stop the fight, Rygart! She isn't… She isn't what you think she is! This is going to be…"

"Athena?" Rygart spoke up quizzically, almost confused with the woman's sudden appearance. "What's wrong? What are you doing here?" The man questioned, almost as if he didn't hear a single word the red head had spoken a few moments earlier.

Practically clawing her hands into Rygart's shoulders, Athena almost howled into his face. "I SAID STOP THE FIGHT BEFORE SHE KILLS EVERYONE!" Athena roared at the top of her lungs.

Rygart moved his face and head backwards, shutting his eyes somewhat and turning away as to deflect the barrage of yelling Athena was besieging him with.

"Athena, please… It's one stupid castanic that got lucky against-"

"She isn't any normal castanic warrior." Athena interrupted, trying to think desperately of the fastest way that she could get the point across… But simply put, that wasn't going to be very possible…

"Look, Rygart, I never ask for things like this… But you _have_ to call it off!" Athena beseeched the blond haired man.

"Oh, come on Athena, what can-"

"ARGHHH! FORGET IT!" Athena finally yelled, her patience snapping in an instant as she saw the armor clad executioners begin filing out into the coliseum floor. "Fucking USELESS!" The woman spat vehemently as she span on her heel and rushed back out, heading down a different door and stairwell that led directly towards the stadium.

By the time the red headed woman reached the coliseum floor, however, the heavily armored exectioners had already begun to advance on the now unarmored and completely unprotected castanic. Was she at a disadvantage though?

She most certainly didn't think so. Armor like the ones that the executioners wore were very protective, yes, but they were cumbersome. Mobility was most certainly not their intended purpose.

While the thin framed castanic stood in a seemingly idle position, a seasoned warrior could tell that she was already ready to spring in for an all-out assault. Her gaze was cool and calculating, betraying nothing of the actions that she was planning to take.

Leaning the weight of her form onto one leg, the castanic idly allowed the executioners to slowly spread out into their formation. Shields were raised, their spears pointed directly at the horned woman…

And then she surged forwards.

In a flash of white, the woman tore her great sword from the sandy floor with a single hand; the woman barreling straight towards the first and closest executioner. Instantly, a spear thrust came to greet the woman's headlong rush, but once again, speed was the castanic's ally. Lowering her stance, the castanic ducked and continued straight towards her foe. Before the man could backup and restore distance between them for another lethal thrust, the castanic swung the massive blade in her hands, using her momentum to her advantage.

The blow wouldn't have been lethal. The dulled blade wasn't enough to pierce such thick and heavy armor, but rather than causing a massive internal injury to the man within the armored suit, the castanic's blade instead cleaved into the air.

For a moment, surprise registered on the castanic's face as the man she had been preying upon suddenly crumbled to the floor, the weight of his armor and the fact that his legs had just been kicked out from beneath him causing the castanic's swing to miss entirely.

What had caused her such a rare miss?

The answer came in a blinding flash of red as Athena's figure emerged from behind the man's body.

It was her… The one that had save the executioner from any injury by deliberately tripping him…

None the less, the white haired castanic adapted instantly. Using the momentum of her own blade, she allowed the weapon to cleave through the air, carrying her weight backwards and a safe distance away from the executioners and now Athena as well. The moment she stopped, her stance had already returned to its offensive posture; blade poised behind the woman with both hands on the hilt of the massive blade.

But it wasn't that stance that drew Athena's hands to the hilt of her blades. No… It was that look of ice in her eyes, the gaze of a woman who was so unfazed by the sight of battle that it had become a part of her.

Taking a breath, the red headed woman swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat before slowly… gingerly… lifting her hands away from the hilts of her blades.

Needless to say, the castanic did not mirror her movements.

When one of the guards behind Athena bristled his shield and spear, Athena was quick to reach a hand out to her side, preventing the man from engaging the castanic in a battle that was likely to be the executioner's last.

Confusion was evident in the executioner's movements as his helmet turned in the direction of Athena before back to the castanic, and then back to Athena once more.

Before he had a chance to voice a question, however, Athena took a breath and spoke in a voice that rang loud and clear.

"We thank you for joining us this evening for tonight's entertainment. Please join us again at the same time next week." Athena yelled to the crowd, instantly hushing out their cheers.

Silence returned to the field until the crowd once again roared to life, this time with "boo's" and cries of unsatisfied bloodlust. But amidst it all, Athena's eyes only tracked the lone castanic who remained planted before her.

"Go back." Athena spoke up commandingly to the executioners. A command that baffled the men, but one that they eventually complied with.

As the men turned away, Athena extended a hand to the white haired woman before her.

Needless to say, the castanic didn't accept it, though she did return to a less offensively oriented stance.

"Back to the barracks." Athena called to the woman, the red head lowering her hand as she spoke. With that, Athena turned her back to the castanic and began making her own way back to the open gate on the coliseum. It was a motion that was a massive gamble, turning her back on someone who had shown such massive prowess in battle and quite clearly had a grudge against humans…

But in the end, the gamble paid off.

Gritting her teeth and making an annoyed sound with her tongue, the castanic begrudgingly shouldered her massive broadsword and trailed in the Athena's footsteps. Of course a hunter such as herself wasn't going to indulge in something as underhanded as attacking somebody's back, particularly someone like Athena…

Ignoring the boo's and shouts of the masses around them, both Athena and the castanic finally made their way back into the staging area where Athena finally closed the gate behind her with a solid thunk.

In an instant, there was a swarm of guards that moved forward to relieve the castanic of her weapon, but just as the white haired woman's hands reached for the hilt of her broadsword, Athena spread her arms and halted the men in their advance.

"She is in a caliber that none of you are ready to take on." Athena spoke up in a hard tone, immediately causing the guards to falter slightly. "It would be best if you left her in my hands. At least she won't bite me."

The guards seemed to mill about for a moment as they muttered comments to each other, trying to discern what it was they should do in such a situation, until a loud voice spoke over the din.

"What in _GOD'S NAME_ do you think you are doing, Athena!?" Rygart roared as he emerged from a nearby doorway. "Have you _any idea_ what you have done?"

"She would have killed all of them." Athena argued back heatedly, "Maybe you don't notice how she moves or how she fights, but her killing the dracoloth was no fluke. You're not a warrior, Rygart! You don't know one when you see one!"

"How DARE you!" Rygart exploded, "She's marked for execution! The only way this can end is with her death!"

Amidst the heated argument, the castanic rolled her eyes and moved off to the side before gently sitting down on the edge of one of the bench tables. Ironically enough, the movement placed her directly beside a particularly large human male.

Having discarded most of her armor in favor of mobility, the castanic was left clad in the black innerwear that she was given back in the central jail. Nothing more than a simplistic set of wraps around her chest and a modest pair of tight shorts.

Hurk, being a rather young male, couldn't help but continuously steal glances in a manner which he thought was subtle, but definitely not at all….

"… I'll BUY HER THEN!" Athena's loud yell brought attention back to the argument at hand.

"Buy her? A convicted castanic?!" Rygart laughed back, "How much are you going to offer me? How much to bail her out of the crimes she has commited?!"

"Five hundred." Athena tossed up her hands in exasperation.

"That's enough to buy you a blowup doll of a castanic, you red headed whore!"

"Fuck it! Fuck you! Fifty." Athena exploded, "Thousand!"

Instantly, the room went quiet. Even Rygart himself found his jaw dropping at the mention of fifty thousand gold. That amount alone was close to five to ten years savings for the very best of coliseum fighters.

Clearing his throat, Rygart attempted to recover his composure before straightening his posture and looking down at the red headed woman.

"Fifty Thousand. You have a deal." Rygart stated cooly as he turned on his heel and marched out the door. "Guards." He called as he left, causing the stunned entourage of men to shuffle out awkwardly after him.

When at last, it was just Hurk, Athena, and the castanic in the room, Hurk slowly rose from his seat and moved over to Athena's side; the red headed woman still planted in the same spot where she had spoken the words _fifty thousand_.

"Hey… Are you… Nuts?" Hurk muttered in as low a voice as possible.

Athena didn't respond.

"Do you even have fifty thousand gold saved up?" The man continued pressing with questions.

Numbly, Athena slowly shook her head.

"I… Uhm… Well she is yours now I guess?" Hurk continued rather awkwardly, clearly baffled as to what it was he was supposed to be doing.

"I'm in the hole…" Athena's voice cracked as she stared numbly at the dirt in front of her feet. "By forty five thousand…"

Slowly, the red headed woman's gaze turned back to the castanic who was now lounging on the bench with a loaf of bread in her hands, looking as though she didn't have a problem in the world.

"So…. Uhmm…" Athena muttered as she seemed to meander her way over to the castanic's side, still quite clearly shocked with what she herself had just done. With a dazed look on her face, Athena almost dropped herself down on the bench beside the castanic before snatching the pitcher of wine from the center of the table, filling an entire glass, and downing the entire amount.

"I didn't need help." The castanic surprisingly enough, spoke up first.

Instantly, there was a loud grunting angry sound from the other side of the room as Hurk shot to his feet, balled his hands into his fists and practically leapt on top of the castanic, the burly man's fists pounding into the table sending dishes and goblets flying to the floor.

"YOU FUCKING UNGRATEFUL LITTLE BITCH!" Hurk roared into the castanic's face, "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH SHE JUST SACRIFICED FOR YOUR PATHETIC LIFE!?"

Amidst the tirade, the castanic merely shut her eyes as Hurk's spittle flew into her face.

"Don't worry about it big guy…" Athena spoke up, giving Hurk a nudge with her elbow.

"But-"

"No…" Athena spoke up again, causing Hurk to finally relent after giving the castanic an extremely dirty glare.

"You're right. You didn't need my help." Athena sighed, "But I helped you anyways. And more importantly I helped _them_."

Athena didn't need to specify who _them_ was since everyone already knew she was referring to the executioners.

"Wouldn't have been a big loss." The castanic answered coldly.

"Look!" Athena snapped, finally growing irritated with the castanic's lack of gratitutde, "I know you don't care about them! I know you don't care about me! In fact, the moment we walk out those doors, you're probably going to ditch and leave me to deal with my forty five thousand gold debt. I'm doing my best, alright!? I didn't want them to kill you, and I didn't want you to kill them. But these are my people. For better or worse, I will protect them."

The castanic merely sealed her lips after that, silently acknowledging that Athena had most certainly taken a sacrifice for her sake. After a few moments of silence, the castanic finally spoke up.

"Thank you." She stated rather stiffly. The words clearly foreign to her mouth.

Oddly enough, Athena didn't seem to react very much to her words.

"Yeah…" She muttered to herself somewhat despondently. "… That's probably the most expensive thank you I'll ever get…"

Taking another full glass of wine, Athena finally dropped her head to the table where her skull rested atop her folded arms.

"Goddess…. What have I done..." She murmured to herself before cracking her eyes open and gazing at the white haired woman sitting next to her. "How am I going to cook up fourty five thousand in a single month…"

"Why make such an offer if you will only despair after it?" The castanic inquired, her gaze fixating directly onto Athena's slumped form.

"Right thing to do." Athena grunted back, sounding miserable that it was the case.

"By your laws, I am a convicted criminal." The castanic pressed.

"Doesn't make them right." Athena grunted again before burying her face in her arms.

"Forty five thousand?" The castanic mused to herself. "… One week."

Clearly believing that the castanic was merely pulling her strings, Athena let out a despondent sounding sigh.

"Forty five thousand in a week would take gold raining from the sky." The red head's muffled voice emerged from her mouth that was buried in her arms.

"… I cannot repay you if you continue moping." The castanic spoke up in a suddenly hardened tone, similar to the one that she had used to greet Athena with. If anything was apparent at all, it was that she was completely ignoring Athena's complaints.

"… Right…" Athena muttered as she finally sighed and dragged herself to her feet. "… Can you… well… do you even have a name that I can call you?"

The castanic stiffened for a moment, clearly unwilling to relinquish such information.

"Well, I guess I could just give you a name. How about-"

"Ysane." The castanic interrupted the red head.

For a moment Athena blinked, the castanic's name seeming to echo in her head.

"Ysane…" Athena breathed.

"Not yuh-sane." The castanic interrupted the red head again, displeasure evident in her voice as mispronouncing her name was rather offensive. "Yee-sah- nay. Ysane."

"Right." Athena quipped, suddenly finding herself feeling slightly better now that the castanic had actually revealed something more personal to her.

Unfortunately, the sentiment didn't quite seem to be reflected by the horned woman.

"… You know, if you didn't want to tell me, you didn't really have to." Athena spoke up.

Wordlessly, the castanic rose to her feet and turned her gaze to the door that led back to the city she despised so much.

"I did so because you ordered it." Ysane answered stiffly, before gritting her teeth slightly and saying one last word, " _Master_."

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

Hello everyone, it has once again been quite a bit of time since I last posted anything here. I originally had few plans to post this story here simply because I am unsure of how often I can update the story, but I figured sharing it wouldn't help. I do not expect many to read this story since most people do not read TERA related fanfiction. None the less, here are the first three chapters to this story. I have much in store for this story with many characters to build and many adventures to be had, though my updates will likely be very periodic. I do work a full time job now as an engineer so free time is even more sparse than before. I do hope you all will be understanding of this. In regard to my legend of korra fic, I am still working on it, but the pace on that story is somewhat halted since I have encountered a bit of a rut in terms of how I can progress the story. I do apologize. Now finally, in regards to plans for writing a sequel for Behind the Veil of Power. The option is still very much there for me to continue the story line, but if I am to consider writing a major sequel, I must first find a plot that I can truly create that will rival or surpass the former in terms of depth and development. It will be no easy task to develop such a thing and at the present moment, such an idea does not quite exist. The option is still there, but for now, I am refraining from being too eager I suppose I could say.

Anyhow, that is all for now, thank you very much for reading and I hope to see you in the future.

-M


	5. Chapter 5

**The Craftsman**

Ysane shifted uncomfortably beneath the fabric of the blue dress she had been given. It wasn't a material she was accustomed to having around her form. Far too high class, and far too functionally deficient as far as the castanic was concerned. But it was what Athena had left on the bathroom counter for her when the castanic had been instructed to... _clean herself up_...

It was a strange luxury that Ysane simply wasn't accustomed to. Typically, cleaning herself up meant jumping into a river and wiping off the sweat, blood, and grime that coated her form after a long day of work. But this? A shower? It simply wasn't something she had really used in the past.

Athena's home was not extravagant by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, the small town home she occupied was very modest, holding only the barest of commodities. But the very fact that it held commodities was still a large step above what Ysane was accustomed to. For her, home usually meant a sheltered area with an overhang and perhaps a fire. Here? There were walls surrounding her, windows, doors, and a ceiling to stave off the unfavorable elements. The home even had a cozy fireplace along with a fully furnished kitchen... Even the shower had strange things that Ysane didn't quite understand. It wasn't like a spout that manually guided water to fall over the human form. Instead, it was a blue, magic-infused crystal that was mounted directly into the ceiling that gently sprinkled water from above when activated.

When at last, Ysane emerged from the shower, which was considerably faster than what Athena was expecting, seeing as how the red head enjoyed long showers, Athena found herself staring at a white haired castanic that she hardly recognized. With no blood or grime on her form, the white haired woman actually appeared very civilized. Remarkable, considering how just a few hours earlier, the castanic had slaughtered a dracoloth and was on the verge of doing the same to the execution squad...

"You... Look great!" Athena finally managed to say as her voice finally returned from its shocked stupor.

Ysane didn't quite reply, though she most certainly did reach a hand beneath one of the dress's shoulder straps and shift uncomfortably. The castanic didn't voice her discontent due to the fact that the dress was very much a gift, but her body language did more than enough to display her discomfort.

"Uhm... Not comfortable?" Athena questioned as she quickly identified the castanic's movements.

"I am unaccustomed to such... _garish attire..._ " Ysane answered neutrally, expressing her opinion, but doing her best to do so without complaint.

"Ah..." Athena answered, though the red head was most certainly giving the castanic a good look up and down. "Well is there something else you might prefer? I didn't go for pants and such since, well... I'm a bit taller than you and none of my clothes other than my dresses would probably fit you..."

Before the castanic had a chance to answer, however, Athena smiled and tilted her head at the white haired woman.

"How about we go shopping?" The red head inquired, looking as though she had already made her decision.

"If that is your decision." Ysane answered stiffly.

"Hey, if you don't want to, you could just say-"

"You are my master." Ysane interrupted through clenched teeth, the woman still quite clearly bitter about being in such a position of servitude. Of course what Ysane was expecting was that Athena would affirm being in such a position, but remarkably enough, it was Athena who voiced her own complaints about such a fact.

"Hey, can you stop calling me that?" The red head questioned, sounding legitimately uncomfortable with being called such a thing as _master_...

"I mean I'd much prefer Athena. Master just sounds... _wrong..._ I mean people aren't objects to be owned." Athena finished with a frown.

For a few moments, the castanic stopped shifting about in her dress as she gazed upon Athena with a measuring look to her eyes.

"Athena." the castanic finally spoke, sounding almost as if she were tasting the name.

"Perfect!" The red head stated with a smile, "Actually, before you stop calling me master, there's just one thing I'm going to make you do."

Instantly, Ysane stiffened and her eyes narrowed with suspicion.

"You're going shopping with me!" Athena crowed before reaching out and practically dragging the castanic out the door.

* * *

 _One Hour Later..._

"If money is of concern at this time, why do you insist on buying something as frivolous as clothes for me?" Ysane questioned as Athena guided her through the streets of Velika. The red headed woman had both of her hands firmly planted on the castanic's shoulders and was practically steering Ysane in the direction she wanted to go.

"Well, I don't think you want to go about the city in just those black inners you have, would you?"

Ysane answered with silence, almost suggesting that she didn't mind the idea.

"Okay, maybe you would, but the rest of the people here in Velika would probably think it... _obscene_. Not to mention that it would draw a lot of attention." Athena continued, "Besides, you were the one that said you could make the money in a week, did you not? I'm holding you to that offer, because I sure as hell won't make fifty thousand in the arena no matter what kind of crowd I draw. Anyways, having some form of clothes would be practical, wouldn't it?"

Once again, Ysane didn't answer with any words, partially because Athena was correct, but more so because she was growing annoyed with the amount of eyes that were gawking at the sight of the two women.

"You hardly seem a stranger to attention." Ysane grunted back, making a deliberate point to stare into the eyes of anyone that made eye contact with her. Clearly, the white haired castanic did not like being stared at like some sort of zoo animal...

"Gladiator, remember?" Athena hummed back, smiling as she did so. "It's not so bad when you get around to it. Fame has its uses sometimes, you know?"

"Useful for sticking out in a crowd when it is unnecessary." Ysane answered coldly, the trademark of her personality finally returning.

"Oh don't be such a stick in the mud, Ysane…" Athena complained, giving the castanic a pouting frown.

"Stick in the mud?" The other woman echoed questioningly.

"Take it easy! Take a joke! Relax a little!" Athena pressed, clearly doing her best to lighten the gloomy atmosphere that seemed to cloak the white haired woman.

"Noted." Ysane stated back, flat and dull as ever.

"Not very successfully, might I add…" Athena quipped immediately afterwards, causing the castanic to roll her eyes.

With that, the two rounded a corner and proceeded down the street, eyes following the odd pair of women as they traveled down the road. Ysane, clearly uncomfortable, while Athena behaving as if absolutely nothing was out of the ordinary at all. Everything seemed to be going well, considering the circumstances…

That is until Ysane set foot into the clothing store that Athena always frequented…

"Welcome to Agathor's- What the hell? Get the fuck out of here! We don't serve your-"

"Ey there, Agathor!" Athena loudly, obnoxiously, and quite deliberately interrupted the man at the desk before he could finish his string of racist words.

"A… Wha? Athena? What the hell?" Agathor sounded in surprise as Athena poked her head around the castanic's shoulder.

Athena fixed the rather round, hairy man with a toothy grin, all the while acting as if absolutely nothing was out of the ordinary. Meanwhile, Agathor seemed to turn his uncomprehending gaze from Ysane, to Athena, then back to Ysane again…

"Got nothing, eh?" Athena teased the man, "Well that's fine, we're here to pick up a few things for her to wear, okay?"

"I… But… We don't serve-" Agathor attempted to sputter.

"Make an exception for me, yeah?" Athena interrupted the man, giving him a charming and winning smile that quickly silenced his complaints, instead replacing him with a pink tint to his cheeks.

To Ysane, it was like reading an open book.

The man had a huge crush on Athena if anything was apparent at all…

None the less, the castanic kept her gaze neutral as her eyes surveyed the various items and wares displayed about the shop. Most the armor and clothing that dotted the room left the white haired woman uninterested and unimpressed with the wares…

Except for a single set of armor seemingly hidden behind a few rows of other garish items. While the majority of the items that were highlighted in display were beautiful works of art, most of them seemed to be designed more as wall hanging armor as opposed to functional pieces. The set that Ysane set her eyes on, however, was exactly the opposite. Much like one had come to expect with Ysane, the armor was light and flexible, designed more for movement rather than blunt protection.

While Athena and Agathor continued their aimless conversation, Ysane pulled away from Athena's steering grasp, causing a brief interruption in the two's conversation.

"H-Hey…!" Agathor called out helplessly as he seemed to at least attempt to stop Ysane from browsing the items he had on sale. Apparently he was quite stubborn and resistant to the idea of some castanic buying his wares…

"Oh, found something you like?" Athena called out to the Ysane's back.

All she got was a grunt in reply.

"That's actually pretty good. She's a picky one, just so you know." Athena stated, her comment directed towards Agathor.

Of course all Agathor could really do was watch helplessly as Athena kept him in place with conversation while Ysane moved directly to the item she had set her eyes on.

While Athena and Agathor expected her to select one of the sets of clothing that covered the light set of armor behind them, Ysane surprised both of them by ignoring everything other than the set of armor.

"… _That_ …?" Athena sputtered, confusion written all over her features as Ysane pulled forth the set.

Agathor, remarkably enough, had no comment to utter from his half open mouth.

Ysane didn't have any words to say as she set the individual pieces of armor down on a nearby table and turned each piece around in her hands one by one. The set was remarkably plain in comparison to the rest of the items hanging around the shop. It was a drab colored set of armor, primarily composed of blacks and greys with almost no ornaments to it. But what Ysane found appealing about the set, as compared to the others, was the functionality of the design.

Whereas the other wares about the shop were beautiful in appearance, their design hampered movement. The set she had selected was the exact opposite. It had little to boast in terms of beauty, but it was protected in the places where it was needed, and flexible where movement was key.

"You should discard what you design and only create items such as this." Ysane spoke up for the first time, her words not spoken to anyone in particular, but clearly directed towards the man that had made it.

Though the castanic's words were not a direct compliment, the single sentence she had uttered turned Agathor's pink cheeks into a bright red.

"W-well… I…" He sputtered, "I… haven't been able to sell that set in three years…"

"The design of this item surpasses all of the others combined." Ysane replied flatly, sounding bored with Agathor's answer.

Of course her words turned Agathor's face even more red with embarrassment. Though she wasn't trying to compliment his wares, Ysane was quite clearly melting the man into a pile of mush with the simplicity of what she was saying.

"… I don't get it…" Came a voice from behind the castanic.

"Naturally." Ysane answered Athena's comment. The underhanded remark earned her a frown from Athena.

"I mean I don't see what's so special about it, it doesn't exactly look nice and it's not exactly made out of high quality material…" Athena pressed, a perplexed look on her face.

While Athena spoke, Agathor moved to the other side of the table opposite to where Ysane was standing. Just as he opened his mouth to answer Athena's comment, Ysane spoke up.

"Triple hardened Naga leather. Cured in Kumas blood." Ysane stated, her finger tapping twice on the leather section of the breastplate. "Naga sinew underneath. Joints are a blend of Naga sinew, silk threads, and Kumas hair. Strong. Flexible."

From across Ysane, Agathor's mouth opened and shut a few times like a fish out of water. Simply speaking, Ysane had read the set of armor like an open book, hitting exactly every point to the dot as to how he had made the armor. Out of all the sets he had made, the most effort had gone into the set she held in her hands.

"I… Who…. _How_?" Agathor finally managed to sputter.

"It is also to my taste that it is not dyed a garish color such as that red you are so fond of." Ysane continued, completely ignoring Agathor and taking a small jab at Athena's choice of armor.

"Well I mean it's _pretty_." Athena mustered up in her defense.

"Appearance should be of the last of importance." Ysane answered coldly.

"Hey, I'm a gladiator, okay? I have to look the part…" The red head huffed in response. "Besides, the crowds like a woman who can look the part and _do_ the part!"

"W-Would you like to try the set?" Agathor finally peeped up, doing his best to politely butt into the conversation.

Ysane turned to gaze at Agathor with an impassive look on her face, immediately causing the man to seemingly shrink back in a mixture of fear and perhaps shyness.

"… I mean… Only if you would like to…" He muttered, his eyes searching for something to gaze at that was anything other than Ysane.

It was clearer than anything else that Agathor was still very much resistant to the idea of a castanic purchasing or using his wares, but what was more important to him was that the work he was most proud of was finally being considered and valued by a customer. Even if that customer was one that he didn't particularly like.

Ysane seemed to stare balefully at the man for a few minutes before she finally reached behind her back and undid the knot that held her dress in place. With a quick shrug, the dress dropped away, leaving once again clad in little more than the black inners she had.

Needless to say, everyone in the room quickly averted their gaze, Agathor blushing furiously at the sight of Ysane's form, and even Athena mirroring the look, albeit to a slightly less degree.

Ysane, on the other hand, seemed completely unbothered with being partially nude before the two others as she strapped the light set of armor about her form, buckling and tightening various straps such that it held snugly and securely to her form. In the end, even if the set wasn't tailor made to fit her exact body shape and proportions, the armor still fit perfectly, simply because of the way the armor could bend and flex to match the figure within it.

With the armor fastened about her form, Ysane bent and stretched her form, testing the flexibility of the armor before finally returning to a neutral position. For the briefest of moments, Athena thought she saw the barest of smile flicker across Ysane's lips, but she blinked and the look was gone.

Agathor, on the other hand, was absolutely beaming as he watched Ysane move about, the set of armor she wore easily keeping up with her movements and not restricting the castanic at all. It was a remarkable change of attitude, seeing as how a few minutes before, Agathor was on the verge of kicking the castanic out of his shop… Or at least trying to.

Satisfied with the tests she had given the armor, Ysane briefly glanced at Athena before starting to undo the straps and buckles about her form.

It took Athena a moment to understand the look before she finally spoke up.

"Er… So that one. Alright. How about some street clothes or something as well?" Athena quipped, doing her best to catch on to the subtle hints that Ysane was giving her.

Of course at the suggestion of something like street clothes, Ysane grunted and seemed to shake her head with the barest amounts of exasperation.

None the less, a few minutes later, Ysane tossed down a few pairs of pants and a few shirts and tank tops on top of the armor. As one would have expected, the clothing was plain and rather boring. All of the pants were black, and all of the shirts were either white or black, both items were a lighter and stretchy material that would fit a form nicely.

"Well… I guess it's better than having you run around naked…" Athena sighed as she stared at the pile of identical looking clothes.

"Alright Agathor, how much will it be?" Athena questioned as she turned to the round man.

Agathor seemed to hesitate for a few moments as he stared at the pile of clothes and the set of armor, all the while twiddling his thumbs and tapping the toe of his boot on the floor.

"Well… " He hesitated, "The clothes will be one hundred gold coins…"

"And the armor?" Athena pressed rather nonchalantly.

Agathor hesitated, clearly unsure as to how he wanted to price the item.

"Material cost would price it at one thousand five hundred." Ysane spoke up, "Alongside at least one month of skilled labor to assemble the pieces."

Athena balked in an instant, her cheeks seeming to drain of color once again. One month of skilled labor was at least five thousand gold especially when under the works as a skilled craftsman such as Agathor…

"One thousand five hundred will do…" Agathor finally spoke up, causing a confused look to plaster Athena's face.

"I made this set four years ago…" Agathor explained, a sad tone to his voice, "I kept it for a year off of the shelves because I was so proud of it. I thought it would… I thought it would sell the moment I listed it… but nobody ever wanted it."

Athena made a small "ah" sound as she gradually understood the reasoning behind Agathor's pricing.

"It would… be enough to see my greatest work finally put to use… Even if it is…" He paused for a moment and stole a glance at Ysane. "Even if it is used by a castanic…"

Though Ysane knew full well of the man's distaste and racism, oddly enough, she didn't voice any complaint. If anything was apparent, it was that the two still didn't like one another, but there was an odd sort of mutual respect between them.

"Well, alright then… One thousand six hundred…" Athena stated in a strained tone as she pulled forth a small, official looking slip from her bag, scrawled a few lines on it, and finally signed and handed the slip to Agathor.

As she handed the slip to Agathor, however, the man only seemed to pause and take another look at Ysane.

"Are you… sure about this?" He seemed to ask rather hesitantly.

"To be honest… no…" Athena sighed as she followed Agathor's gaze. "But she did say that she could pay off the debt in a week… and I don't think she has told me a lie yet…"

Agathor merely shook his head and kept his comments to himself. However, as Ysane and Athena stepped out of his store, he only said a few words to himself.

" _Poor thing…_ "

* * *

 **Author's Notes**

Hello again everyone, just a small update to this story today. This chapter was mostly filler, though there were a few character points that I needed a scene like this in order to develop. Hope you all enjoyed it even though it was rather light in terms of plot. Much more to come in the future, and I hope to have updates regularly. No guarantees of course, but I will do my best.

Per usual, I thank you all for reading, and please do leave any comments, questions, or suggestions if you have any. Thank you for reading, and I hope to see you in the chapters to come.

-M


	6. Chapter 6

**Takes a Lickin'**

"Y'know I thought you didn't like him at first, but you certainly seem to be watching him rather intently." Athena commented as she leaned forwards, resting her elbows on the window sill before her.

On the other side of the window, Hurk was standing in the center field of the arena, this time taking the stage against a much more formidable opponent. A large, lumbering kumas. But as one had come to expect with Hurk, the match was still rather well directed in his favor. None the less, he was making an excellent show of the fight, making it seem as though he was only barely able to stay ahead of the lumbering behemoth's mighty swings.

"Counting missteps." Ysane answered curtly.

"What?"

"I am counting missteps." The castanic repeated, her gaze deadpan and practically staring at the battle going on.

"Hmm…" Athena mused in response, finding little to complain about with Hurk's battle other than the fact that to her, it was obvious he wasn't hard pressed at all. "… He seems pretty good to me."

"He squanders the strength he has." Ysane answered bluntly.

"How so?" Athena questioned back quickly, curiosity evident in her tone.

"… His stance does not translate the strength in his body." The castanic replied with a rather annoyed sniff. "His style is that of a child, using brute force rather than technique."

"Well… I guess that's why he uses a big ol' sword like that then. Let's him get away with-"

"If that were the case, he would be better suited with a poleaxe." Ysane interrupted coldly.

"But-"

"If it were brute strength that dictated the use of a sword such as that, I would not be using one." Ysane continued before Athena could even think about voicing her question. "In raw strength, I hold less than half of his power. He's wasting his strength."

In the middle of the field, Hurk moved left and right, inflicting wound after wound on the beast he was fighting, the crowd gasping and cheering in delight as he seemingly gained the upper hand.

"He seems to be doing fine, if you ask me…" Athena resisted, almost sounding as if she were defending her friend from criticism.

"Your friend does not use the weight of his weapon to his advantage." Ysane sighed with a roll of her eyes, the way she spoke suggesting that she was disdainful of even the very notion of being friends with Hurk. "His swings interrupt his momentum. He is fighting his own weapon."

"So that's how I get you to talk more!" Athena abruptly crowed, taking the conversation in a completely different direction. "I just talk about what Hurk needs to improve on!"

Ysane blinked and turned her gaze to Athena for a moment before realizing that the other was simply playing her games again.

"Tch." The castanic sounded, promptly sealing her lips and adopting what looked like a scowl on her face.

Ysane had initially thought the red head to be some sort of dolt, easy to read and predictable. But the more time she spent with the red headed human, the more she started to notice how seemingly random Athena actually was. It was infuriating, really. The woman's unpredictability made her unreadable and unstable. A wildcard of sorts…

"Ah, don't ya give me that look, Ysane!" Athena laughed, nudging the castanic with an elbow. "I'm just having some fun, alright?"

Ysane answered with more silence, prompting Athena to laugh even more before finally subduing her mirth and allowing the moment to pass.

"Hey… come on, you don't have to be so uptight around me!" Athena whined when the castanic didn't seem to respond to her anymore. "We're friends, are we not?"

Ysane didn't answer that question for a while, though the look on her face was suggesting that she wasn't even close to considering such an idea to be reality.

"Well… I guess-"

"The very notion of a human being friends with a castanic is preposterous." Ysane interrupted the other woman, her expression back to being unreadable.

"And why's that?" Athena questioned back, the woman fixing the other with a frown as she planted a hand on her hip and turned to completely face the castanic.

"Because you humans think of us as things. Objects. Toys." Ysane answered readily.

"Whoa! What the hell?!" Athena shot back, clearly offended by the other's generalization. "When did I once say that you were my toy?"

"You bought me." Ysane stated back, equally hard-headed and stubborn over the matter. "One does not buy a person. They buy objects."

"It was… It was a matter of phrasing!" Athena exclaimed back, exasperation evident in her tone.

"That does not change the fact that you-"

"Yes! Yes it does!" Athena interrupted the other for the first time. "Maybe the way I said it was wrong, alright? Maybe. But that doesn't change the fact that my intentions were entirely noble and intended to get you out of a tight spot!"

The red headed woman paused and turned away, taking a breath for a moment to allow her emotions to come back under control.

She wasn't very successful…

"You are a hu-"

"NO!" Athena roared, the moment Ysane began to repeat herself. "It doesn't matter if I'm human or not! It doesn't matter if you have horns sticking out of your skull! It wouldn't matter if I had long ears or scaly skin! I. Just. Wanted. To. Help. You!"

Ysane would have continued to argue, but for some reason, the urge came with a confliction she hadn't exactly felt before.

"God…" Athena sighed and let out a heated breath, "It's like you're trying to make me… It's like you're trying to push me away…"

Again, Ysane answered with silence.

"… Would be easier, wouldn't it?" Athena spoke to the air, her gaze going everywhere that wasn't Ysane until she settled back on the fight in the arena. "Everyone's out there to get you. No need to trust anyone other than yourself."

Ysane's jaw clenched and she ever so slightly ground her teeth with frustration.

"Look Ysane… "Athena sighed, "I don't know what happened to you… I don't know why you hate humans so much… Well maybe I do, but… I don't know why you hate me so much. Sure, maybe a lot of people in this here city want to see your head on a spike, but that doesn't mean every single one of us is an enemy, so stop trying to make it look like we all are."

As if on cue, the arena suddenly erupted in a tremendous roar of approval. In the center of the arena, the kumas Hurk was fighting had finally fallen in defeat. Not much to anyone's surprise, the burly man was once again victorious.

"Give it some thought, yeah?" Athena quipped as she turned on her heel and snatched her twin swords off of the nearby table. "I'm up next after all"

* * *

 _Fifteen Minutes Later..._

"So she bought all that stuff for you, huh?"

Ysane turned her head slightly to gaze at the male who had uttered those words. Without a response of her own, Ysane turned her gaze back to the arena, her attention quickly returning to the red headed human that had taken center field.

As one had come to expect with Athena, the entire field was already on its feet, roaring and cheering for the celebrated fighter. Athena, on the other hand, merely rewarded the crowd with a trademark cocky smile. At the same time, she took a few skips towards center field, turning and waving at each section of the coliseum in turn.

"What a shabby looking set of armor." Hurk continued prodding the other, "Not like it really matters though, it's a waste to begin with."

His words turned Ysane's gaze to meet his own with a cold, baleful stare. It wasn't so much that the castanic cared whether or not Hurk appreciated the skill and thought behind the creation of such an armor as much as she disliked how he continued to press the idea that it was a waste that such a thing was bought for her. Whether she openly voiced it or not, a gift was something to be treasured, and as this was a gift from Athena, it meant quite a lot to her. Even the dress that Athena had given her, the one that Ysane distasted heavily, was something she still kept and treasured even if she was likely to never wear the item ever again…

"Speak for yourself." Athena answer, shifting her gaze to the sword that Hurk wielded, suggesting that he was wasting his weapon.

Much like one expected, Hurk was offended.

"Oh and what? You're that much better, huh?" Hurk scowled and bulked up, trying to muster up an intimidating appearance.

Ysane merely shrugged and turned her gaze to the field where Athena had finally settled in, both of the woman's twin swords were drawn and her stance was lowered in a fighting position. Across the field, the gate that held the monsters within the arena slowly creaked open. From the shadows, a low roar sounded, followed by what sounded like a stampede of hooves.

At last, with a tremendous roar, a large naga burst forth from the darkness. It was a hideous creature, standing several times the height of a human being. Scales covered its hide as it moved about on four massive legs, its torso large and muscular as it came to a lizard like head. Attached to its arms were spike like protrusions that were horribly twisted and covered with stains of blood.

Blinded by the sudden brightness of the sun and the loud cheering crowd around it, the creature panicked, attacking anything and everything within sight. It's strikes and hooves pounded the ground as it blindly thrashed about, until its eyes finally settled on the red and gold cladded female awaiting its charge.

It certainly didn't disappoint.

With a screech, the creature leapt into the air at a height that seemed impossible for such a beast. Downwards it crashed, trying to flatten the red head with its front two hooves, but the strike met nothing other than the sand on the coliseum floor.

Athena was a red blur as she flashed about, unleashing a dizzying barrage of slashes and stabs, picking away at one of the creature's legs. Of course, as a gladiator, Athena was only using the attacks as a means of provoking the creature.

Needless to say, the tactic was successful. Furious with the pestering, the naga swiped about viciously with its claws, trying to gore Athena on those spikes, but once again finding nothing to connect with as Athena nimbly danced between the creature's legs, using the monster's own size against it.

Still, Athena continued her pestering strikes, dragging blades along the creature's scales and offering taunting words to the creature. All about the stadium, the crowd ooh'd and ahh'd with admiration as Athena danced the razor's edge between life and being flattened or gored. It was easy to see why the crowd loved her so much; her speed and agility making her battles an exhilarating experience to witness. Even Ysane's attention was captivated as she watched Athena fight for the first time.

As the battle progressed, Athena's dazzling display only seemed to awe the crowd ever further as she took greater and greater risks. Beneath the creature she danced, slashing and scoring the creature's unprotected undersides, driving the beast into a further rage. But no matter what swings and thrashings the monster made, nothing seemed to connect with the seasoned warrior. By a hair's breadth, the woman would seemingly evade certain death before instantly returning to the offensive. Within minutes, the creature was battered and bruised, while Athena was still untouched.

When at last, Athena restored several meters of distance between her and the wounded creature, the audience began a chant. Slow and quite at first, but quickly becoming a deafening roar.

" _A-THE-NA, A-THE-NA! A-THE-NA! A-THE-NA!_ " The crowd chanted, clearly calling on their celebrated warrior to bring a glorious end to the battle.

Rising out of her stance, Athena briefly bowed her head to the creature in a brief salute to its struggle before lowering herself into a purely offensive stance. The movement instantly brought a roar from the crowd as they cheered for the inevitable.

At last, Athena shot forward in a crimson streak. The naga greeted her with a series of swipes and swings, but Athena was gone before they were even remotely close. Beneath the creature she flashed, taking a vicious swing at the unprotected rear of the creature's knees. Blood flew as tendon and flesh were rended from bone, but Athena's assault was far from over. As the creature's legs collapsed from beneath it, she nimble shot out from beneath the creature. Rolling to her feet, she reversed her momentum and shot straight into the air, directly behind the monster's back.

There was a flash of steel as Athena's blades swiped horizontally with a precision unrivaled by any human. Finally, Athena's feet planted back on solid ground. Behind her, the naga remained in a frozen position, dead while kneeling; its spinal column and blood vessels in its neck severed clean and a river of blood flowing down its back.

Instantly, the crowd roared with tremendous applause. Once again, their favorite warrior had provided them with a performance that went unrivaled.

Sheathing her blades, Athena raised a hand and waved at each section of the coliseum, seemingly offering each and every person a cheeky smile as she bowed and waved. As she completed her ceremonial tribute to the audience, the woman finally turned back to continue along her way back towards the barracks. It was supposed to be the end of the events for today... That was, until the barrack doors were blasted off of their hinges and a thin framed woman flipped backwards out of the barracks before landing square on her feet.

"I SWEAR TO GOD, I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!" An infuriated male voice sounded as a burly man stepped out from behind the crushed barrack doors and stepped out onto the coliseum floor, advancing on the woman who had emerged previously.

"… Shit…" Athena swore.

* * *

 _Five Minutes Earlier…_

"Speak for yourself." Athena answer, shifting her gaze to the sword that Hurk wielded, suggesting that he was wasting his weapon.

Much like one expected, Hurk was offended.

"Oh and what? You're that much better, huh?" Hurk scowled and bulked up, trying to muster up an intimidating appearance. "You think you're some hot shit because you killed that drake, but I know better than that, whore. Luck. Fluke. You're just one lucky bitch that managed to trick Athena into thinking you're actually worth something."

Ysane ignored his rude comments, taking a rare effort to stave her typically hostile temper.

"Look at you, wasting her money and putting her in debt. It's your fault she's in the whole, you know?" Hurk continued berating the other, "And you even had the gall to make her buy that stupid armor for you, buy clothes for you, and you _lied_ to her face, saying that you could repay-"

"Speak another word and I will sever your tongue." Ysane cut in like a cold shard of ice. Her tone was one that conveyed clear hostility and pure hatred. "You have no place to speak of her actions like so. Never once did I ask her for these things. You may talk of me with your filthy mouth, but another word towards her will not be forgiven."

"Oho? Am I supposed to be scared?" Hurk laughed, completely disregarding the other's words, "What are you suddenly protective of her? Guess what, ya hooker? She doesn't need someone like you! You're just a stain on her- AH! Fuck! What the shit?!"

There was a crash as Ysane hurled a glass goblet filled with wine directly into Hurk's face, shattering the item and splashing his face with alcohol.

Instantly, Hurk's face contorted with livid fury.

"You're asking for it, bitch!" He roared, surging forwards and swinging a fist at Ysane. Of course the strike managed to contact nothing but air as Hurk contacted nothing but air.

"What a brute. Strength and intelligence of a gorilla." Ysane insulted the other with a cold sort of arrogance.

"THE FUCK DID YOU JUST SAY?!" Hurk roared, even more incensed than before. "FUCK YOU! YOU'RE ASKING FOR IT! _"_

Throwing aside all reason and rules, Hurk snatched his blade from nearby and rushed the castanic, taking a mighty swing with nothing but brute force behind it.

Once again, the blow connected with nothing but air as the blade cleaved straight into the space above the castanic, instead cutting clean through one of the nearby chairs.

Nimbly, Ysane ducked and weaved through the staging area until she had returned to where the executioner's weapons were. Sure enough, the broadsword she wielded from the day before was mounted there once again.

Snatching the blade up, the woman armed herself just in time to block a mighty swing from Hurk. The blow catapulting her straight through the doors that lead to the arena…

* * *

 _Present Time…_

"I SWEAR TO GOD, I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!" Hurk roared as he barreled out of the staging post and took another swipe at Ysane.

Per usual, the castanic shifted out of the way with ease, only this time she responded by giving the man a rough shoulder check that upset his balance and caused him to stumble.

Recovering with a grunt, Hurk took a ham-handed swing at the castanic that the woman once again dodged with ease. To Athena, it was more than apparent that Ysane wasn't even trying to fight the man at all. To her, it was but a game, showing Hurk that he was but a child in comparison to her.

Of course the audience, on the other hand was roaring in the stands, cheering for Hurk to take a limb or two off of the castanic.

Athena was quick to attempt to intervene as she moved forwards to place a hand on Ysane's shoulder, but the castanic practically threw her off and hurled the red headed woman to the floor.

"H-HEY!" Athena yelped as she stumbled. When she looked up at the castanic, however, she saw only one thing in the woman's typically cold eyes.

Fire.

Athena wasn't there to see what had transpired between Ysane and Hurk to know what had caused such a livid glare, but Ysane's gaze was no longer that of a cold and calculating mentality. It was one that dripped of venom and burned with hatred. The look seemed to paralyze Athena for a moment as she stared blankly up at a face she could barely recognize.

It wasn't until Hurk charged in yet again that the paralyzing moment was broken. Taking a backwards step, Ysane briefly restored a tiny bit of distance between her and Hurk. That distance, however, was just enough for her to rebuild the momentum behind a swing.

As Hurk's blade came crashing down, the castanic swung upwards, meeting steel with steel in a tremendous clang. The strike made both weapons ring painfully in each user's respective grasp, but Hurk ignored it with pure strength and willpower; Ysane doing the same out of pure experience.

However, with gravity on his side, Hurk's blade transferred almost all of its force directly into Ysane's blade. In other words, his own strike had only built further momentum into Ysane's blade. Using the recoil from the impact of both of their blades, Ysane allowed her weapon to swing backwards, instead transferring the energy and putting her own force into a full moon swing that arced behind her and straight back crashing down towards Hurk.

Lacking the agility that either Ysane or Athena had, he had little choice other than to fight his blade's downward momentum along with gravity and bring his own blade up to block Ysane's massive downward swing.

A second clang resounded through the entire arena as steel clashed together, yet as he had no choice but to take the full brunt of the strike, Hurk nearly crumpled beneath the crippling strength and momentum behind Ysane's overhanded strike. The blow brought him to a knee before he mustered enough brute force to shove Ysane back, but the castanic was relentless. Sending a kick straight into Hurk's gut, she once again used Hurk's own strength against him, using his force combined with her kick to propel herself backwards in a backflip and landing safely several meters away. Hurk, on the other hand, was completely winded from the strike before he wheezed and staggered to his feet.

With no intention to give her opponent any respite, the castanic surged forwards in a headlong rush before taking a spin and leaping into the air, sending another momentum filled swing straight at Hurk. Still not having learned his lesson, the man attempted to parry the strike. Once again, the attempt was disastrous.

Crippling force was yet again transferred straight into Hurk's blade and arms as painful reverberations tore through his form. This time, the strike sent him flying to the floor, but Ysane continued her string of attacks, her blade coming crashing down with lethal intent. Once again, Hurk was forced to block the strike, but this time, the result was costly. The single blow smashed into Hurk's blade, wrenching the weapon free from his grasp and sending it clattering to the floor.

What came next was inevitable.

With no hesitation at all, Ysane's blade flashed a crescent through the air and came screaming downwards, directly towards Hurk's neck.

- _CRUNCH-_

Averting her blade at the last possible second, Ysane's broadsword smashed into the sand a centimeter away from Hurk's neck, the blade digging into the ground and halting its lethal progress with no space to spare. It was a stunning display of complete and utter dominance. From the moment Hurk had set foot in the arena, Ysane had pushed him back instantly, overwhelming him not through brute force, but through pure technique and experience.

Above the burly man, the castanic seemed to tower, her eyes glaring into his with fury and vicious bloodlust almost oozing from her form. For the first time, it seemed as though Hurk had finally felt fear upon facing the castanic. The young woman he thought he once saw was gone, replaced with some sort of hungry demon. Even to Athena who remained stunned a few meters away could feel the bloodlust coming from Ysane. It was a killing intent that was nearly palpable; a presence that was so oppressive that it smothered those around the white haired woman.

Once again, the entire stadium stood dead in shock. The man they once believed to be the pinnacle of broadsword wielders had been bested so easily by a _castanic_. Even Athena, who was usually quick on her feet and her tongue, was caught without words to resolve the situation.

For a moment, Ysane allowed the moment to stay, the woman standing and fuming with anger as she stood above Hurk; the man doing little other than staring blankly in disbelief up into her eyes.

"… Not. A. Word. Ever. Again." Ysane whispered coldly, each word sounding like a punch despite being barely audible.

Numbly, Hurk took a gulp and nodded without answering any words in reply.

Ysane seemed to lean in slightly and leer at the man before finally wrenching her weapon from the ground and turning back to the barracks, leaving nothing but the sound of stunned silence to accompany her.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

Hello everyone, looks like I managed to squeak out a relatively consistent update schedule for the time being. I'll be keeping this one short since I'm a bit harried in terms of time and what not. I thank you all for reading, and I hope you all enjoyed it. Please do feel free to leave a comment, question, or suggestion if you feel so inclined to do so. Thank you again, and I hope to see you in the chapters to come.

-M


	7. Chapter 7

**Rivals**

Guards once again swarmed the barracks as Ysane, Athena, and Hurk all stepped through the now ruined doors to the staging area. Though she would have defended herself to the death, Ysane remarkably enough, didn't even have to place a hand on the hilt of her blade.

Once again, it was Athena who stood in the way…

Well, Athena… and someone they would have last expected...

 _Hurk..._

"STEP ASIDE, ATHENA!" The guard captain ordered, hostility evident in his tone, "That woman's overstepped her bounds!"

"It wasn't what it looked like, Hogarth!" Athena shot back, desperately trying to come up with an excuse for what it was.

"It was planned." A sudden, gruff voice spoke up.

It was Hurk.

"… What?" The guard captain questioned blankly, voicing the single word that everyone else in the room had on their mind.

"It was planned." Hurk repeated, taking a shifting glance at Ysane before directing his gaze back to the guard captain.

"Okay what? Am I missing something here?" Athena spoke up, completely bewildered as to what it was that Hurk was saying.

"Are you saying that you two staged that entire thing?" The red headed woman blubbered, trying to organize her thoughts.

This time, Ysane glance at Hurk before folding her arms and looking away in a haughty manner, much like one would expect with her.

"My idea." Hurk lied, "Make a rivalry of sorts and publicize it as a grudge rematch in a few days."

As if on cue, the side door to the staging area flew open and Rygart burst into the room.

"What the hell is going on in here? Why isn't her head on a spike yet?" He demanded furiously.

"It was staged." Hurk spoke up before anyone else could say anything.

Rygart's face adopted the same dumbfounded look that everyone else in the room had.

"What?"

"It was staged." Hurk repeated like a broken record.

" _Why in the bloody fuck would you stage something like that?! You didn't even ask permission from me_!" He howled furiously.

"… Well… It had to be convincing…" Hurk answered, thinking as quickly as he could though he was clearly running out of ideas.

"The _fuck_ with convincing, you-"

"Ahem."

"What the fuck do you want!?" Rygart swore at the castanic who had cleared her throat to grab everyone's attention. "You know what? I don't care! Guards, arrest her!"

With a roll of her eyes, Ysane gestured a thumb over her shoulder.

"WHAT!" The man blasted, before suddenly stopping, "…the….." Gradually, Rygart's face seemed to redden.

Sure enough, as the shouting between arguing members within the staging area died down, the steady and growing roar of the coliseum began to filter through the area. It was low at first, but within seconds, the sound was overwhelming.

The matches for the day had ended over ten minutes ago…

And yet not a single person had left the arena just yet.

Slowly, Rygart pushed his way through the rubble that remained of the stadium doors and slowly made his way down into the coliseum. The moment the man stepped out into the light of the stadium, the crowd's noise shot to a whole new level.

The cheers were deafening as Rygart blinked with complete and utter stupor with what was happening. At last, the man fumbled with a device in his jacket pocket and he pulled out a magical stone with a shaky hand. Lifting the stone to his mouth, he opened his lips to speak into the microphone, but words seemed to fail him.

Thankfully enough, there was someone far better at picking up the spur of the moment than him.

Athena.

Stepping out from behind the man, Athena swept the device into her own hands and waved at the crowd with that trademark smile written on her face.

"Thank you! Thank you!" She spoke to the crowd, her projected voice finally dimming the sound of the crowd's roars. "I hope you all enjoyed that little teaser of what is to come as much as I did!"

The crowd roared again and stamped their feet with approval.

"… But the resolution to this battle… Will not come today!"

The crowd roared again, but this time it seemed disappointed.

"But fear not, my friends. This fated match will come to its conclusion in three days! I hope to see you all there! Tickets will be on sale tomorrow! THANK YOU!" She finished before taking a sweeping bow and turning Rygart back to the staging area before vanishing back into the darkness.

When the two returned, they found an odd scene with all of the guards clustered around the windows, staring into the arena, while Hurk and Ysane were off to the side, not exchanging words with one another, but quite clearly making an attempt at conversation.

Finally surrounded by walls rather than the piercing stares of hundreds if not thousands of people, Rygart finally managed to regain his voice.

"Athena, what the _fuck_ are you thinking?" He hissed, clearly not understanding what it was the red head had just done.

"Relax, big boss…" Athena rolled her eyes, "You'll see it soon eno-"

"Rygart! Sir?" A new voice piped up from behind the same door that Rygart had emerged from. Poking out from the door way was a woman in her late thirties. "There's people at the ticket office that are already asking for tickets to the match, what should I do?"

"… _What_?" Rygart repeated dumbly.

"Uhm… There are people at the-"

"No, no, no, I got that… I just…" Rygart fumbled his words. For a moment, he stopped completely and took a few deep breaths to restore his composure. When he opened his eyes, he turned back to Hurk and Athena in turn.

"Alright, fine. I'll let this one go for now, but don't expect me to be so lenient next time!" He snarled before moving towards his assistant.

"Come, Lydia, we have ticket prices to set and many other preparations to make." He barked as he shoved though the door and back up towards his office.

"Guards, dismissed!" His voice echoed down the hall, promptly causing the mass of milling guards to shuffle about awkwardly before finally filing out of the staging area.

At last, Hurk, Ysane, and Athena were left alone.

"So…." Athena spoke up rather awkwardly, staring at the odd sight of Ysane and Hurk sitting even more awkwardly at the end of one of the wooden tables.

Neither one responded to her.

With a huff, the red head moved over and took a seat on the table itself, leaning in a way that she was between the two.

"… So was that really planned?" She whispered in a hushed tone.

Hurk shook his head with a scowl as he grit his teeth.

Athena stayed quiet for a moment before cheeky grin broke out across her features.

"Aww, look at ya, big softie!" Athena crowed, giving Hurk a punch in the shoulder as she laughed, "Look at ya! Protectin' her like that! Ahahahaha!"

On either side of Athena, both Ysane and Hurk seemed to grit their teeth in unison. If anything at all was apparent, it was that Hurk didn't like the fact that he had been bested to such a degree, while Ysane hated admitting that Hurk had definitely swung the odds in their favor.

"So big guy! Why'd ya do it?" Athena kept right on prodding away. "Did ya… fall in _love_?"

"Hardly." Hurk stated through his gritted teeth, but offering no further explanation.

"Well, c'mon big guy! It's not like you're shy! Gimme a hint!" Athena laughed, swinging her feet and leaning back on her hands as she sat on the table top.

"I…" Hurk hesitated as he glanced up at the castanic.

"You…?" Athena pressed the other, trying to coax him to continue.

"… I won't have you running away until I defeat you!" He declared with a powerful conviction, simultaneously gesturing at Ysane as if he were making a declaration of war.

For a moment neither Ysane nor Athena moved.

"BAAAHAHAHAHAHA! So that's it, eh Hurk!?" Athena laughed louder than ever, the woman pounding a fist into the table with mirth as she realized that it was a selfish reason as to why Hurk had helped. "Ehehehe! HAHAHA! You've… ahahaha… You've got a lot of work to do, buddy!"

Gradually, Athena's mirth subsided. With a deep breath, she finally recovered from the long winded streak of laughing. As she did, her eyes finally settled upon the castanic to her left. Surprise registered on her features for a moment, as the barest of all smiles was written across Ysane's face. It was a strange look, almost one that was all too knowing. Almost one that indicated that Ysane herself knew that she had stoke the embers that burned within Hurk's fighting spirit, but rather than say something about it, something else popped into Athena's mind.

"So… Wait… If that was a serious fight, then… what was it that managed to get you two to butt heads?" Athena inquired curiously, "I mean I know you probably wouldn't get along to begin with, but other than Ysane maybe insulting you, Hurk, I don't really…"

Her voice trailed off, letting the other two fill in whatever it was they thought she was going to say.

"Partially true." Ysane answered flatly, openly admitting that her words definitely had something to do with it.

Athena rolled her eyes in response.

"But he instigated it." Ysane continued with an arrogant turn of her head, looking away rather disdainfully from Hurk.

"Hey! I spoke what I saw!" Hurk answered defensively, "You made Athena buy that ugly set of armor for you! It's a waste… er… it was a waste… er…"

"…"

Hurk's argument faltered as he realized that Ysane was fully capable of using the things that Athena had bought for her, making the purchase hardly a waste at all.

"Well at the time…" He started, but finally just gave up with a toss of his hands.

"He insulted the purchase you made for me. He insulted your gift." Ysane explained with typical bluntness. "It was offensive."

Athena blinked at the horned woman for a moment before a wide smile broke out across her lips.

"Aww! That's so cuuuuute!" Athena gushed as she leaned sideways on the table and caught Ysane about the neck in a crushing hug, "That's adorable, Ysane! Defending the gifts that I bought for you! And here I was thinking you didn't like me! Aww!"

The moment Athena's arms closed around her head, Ysane squirmed and tried to break free, but the effort did little to push the red head off of her. Athena was remarkably strong despite her looks…

"Lookit, Hurk! She actually cares about me! Isn't that cute!?" Athena kept right on gushing, cradling the castanic's head while rocking back and forth. When she finally stopped rocking, the woman released the castanic and ran her hand over Ysane's hair as if she were stroking a dog's fur. Gradually, Athena's hands went elsewhere and eventually found themselves gently caressing the other woman's horns.

In an instant, Hurk's eyes bulged in their sockets and his mouth cracked open in a half attempt to speak up, only words didn't quite make it out.

Ysane, on the other hand, froze stalk still beneath Athena's touch.

It took a bit of a moment before Athena stopped uttering gibberish about being cute and she finally turned from Hurk, to Ysane, and then back to Hurk. Completely unaware of what was going on, she stopped her hands where they were and searched for _something_ … _anything_ …?

"Uhh… 'thena…." Hurk cleared his throat awkwardly.

Turning to the burly man, Athena gave him a look that clearly said _"Huh? What?_ "

Gesturing above his head at an invisible shape, he finally conveyed the message.

Horns.

Athena had touched them.

Her mouth instantly forming an "Oh!" of chagrin and realization, Athena's teeth came together and a ginger looking expression plastered her face. Immediately, she severed the contact her fingers had with Ysane's horns and slowly, she backed away.

If there was one thing that even racism couldn't deny, it was that touching a castanic's horns was _never_ to be done. The gesture was one to be treasured and remembered whenever it happened, as it was an indication of the closest kinds of intimacy for the prideful castanic race. For Ysane, this very much remained true.

While one might have expected violence to come from the castanic, surprisingly enough, what was present instead was a slight pink blush on the castanic's face as the woman had shut her eyes and turned her gaze slightly away from Athena and Hurk. There was no smile of embarrassment on her face, only a different hue, and a very stiff, stoic mask on her features.

If anything at all was evident, it was that she hadn't lashed out simply due to the fact that Athena was still technically her master.

"Uhhhh….. I'm…. uh….. sorry…?" Athena offered hesitantly.

For a second, the hue on Ysane's cheeks seemed to darken before she abruptly shot to her feet, turned on her heel, and stormed out the door without a word.

"…"

"Nice." Hurk commented in a single worded opinion.

Athena, however, said something completely different.

"Shit."

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

Hello everyone, thank you for reading this chapter. I know there are few of you out there that enjoy reading about Tera, but I do find the setting very enjoyable to write in, and I hope that those of you who do, can share in my enjoyment as well. This chapter is rather short, but it is remarkably long at the same time since it is a single scene. Hopefully all of you enjoy the characters as they grow together and interact. From now on, Hurk will begin to play a more integral role in the story. Let's face it, as much as I enjoy my yuri and what not, having males in the mix is a refreshing addition. Also his character is rather fun to write after all.

Anyhow, I hope you all enjoyed, and I hope to see you in the chapters to come. Please feel free to leave a comment or critique in the reviews section! I hope to see you in the chapters to come.

-M


	8. Chapter 8

**Return**

"Y'know 'thena, we're going to be in some deep shit if she doesn't show up soon…"

"Hey, look! It was an accident okay? I apologized for it!"

"… and yet she's been gone for days now and the match is coming up and we don't even know if she's here anymore."

"Thanks for pointing out the obvious, doctor Hurk. Didn't think you needed a Master of Magic's degree to draw that conclusion…"

"… Look, 'thena, I'm just trying to save our skins here!" Hurk grumbled back, worry quite evident in his tone and his expression.

"I appreciate it, big guy… but we're in a rut here either way." Athena answered dryly.

"Alright, well where have we not checked yet? She couldn't have gone that far…" Hurk inquired for what seemed like the thousandth time.

Over the past few days, he and Athena had spent hours on end combing the city in search of the castanic that seemingly vanished from the face of the planet. The last either of them had seen of the horned woman was her flustered exit from the coliseum a few days earlier. Inquiries as to where the woman had gone all ended up at dead ends, not that it seemed like the locals were particularly interested in keeping track of a castanic…

"Okay, seriously, Hurk… We've traced our steps through the city at least ten times over and combed through every smelly street, shady back alley, and whatever dump of a sewer over the past few days." Athena replied exasperatedly. "Doing it an eleventh or twelfth or whatever number of time we are on now isn't going to change anything…"

"We've got three hours before the match though!" Hurk almost shouted in desperation.

Athena made a clicking sound with her tongue as she shot the burly man a look that quite clearly said _shut the hell up._

"I'll think of something, alright?" Athena replied, doing her best to cook up some way for her to resolve their problems in a worst case scenario.

"Like what? You're going to go in her place? They will never get tricked into that!" Hurk complained, "It's not like you can use a big ass sword like she does."

"I said I'll think of something." Athena scowled, silently acknowledging the truth to Hurk's statement. With a sigh, the red headed woman shook her head and turned to glance at Hurk for a moment.

"Well, three hours… We should really be at the staging post getting ready…" Athena sighed, her mind still thinking on its feet as to how she could cook up a solution to their bit of a disaster.

Hurk looked back at her, clearly having many words on the tip of his tongue, but for once, he held his tongue and recognized that Athena was very much correct in her conclusion. With a strained breath, the big man turned on his heel and began heading in a different direction towards the coliseum. Athena fell into stride beside him as they made their way towards the already roaring coliseum.

"There's no way this is going to work out." Hurk finally spoke up as they drew closer and closer to the place.

Not only did the seats in the stadium completely sell out in the first hour of tickets coming on sale, but the buildings and hills around the stadium were crowded with people all trying to have a decent glimpse into the center of the stadium. The crowd that had been drawn was simply incomprehensible. Every record in the coliseum's history had been shattered in terms of the sheer volume of interest in the coming battle.

A battle that apparently didn't have one of its key participants…

That was until Athena and Hurk finally arrived at the arena. The moment the two arrived at the gladiator's entrance, they immediately noticed something was rather off.

The guards were missing.

Typically there was at least a full team standing at the door to prevent anyone that wasn't a fighter from entering… but in this case, there wasn't a soul in sight.

"Odd…" Hurk commented as he continued towards the door, "Seems like a bad time to have a security lapse."

Athena didn't answer as she trailed behind the burly man. But what they had believed to be a security lapse was hardly a lapse at all as the two stepped into the staging area.

Off to the side was a rather unglamorous heap of unconscious guards. Whoever it was that had taken them down had done a pretty sloppy job of keeping them out of the way.

Cautiously, Hurk and Athena moved further into the staging area, their hands on the hilts of their weapons as they slowly advanced. Oddly enough, as they combed through the room, nothing came springing out at them or tried to attack them. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

Until Hurk stepped into his private room.

"AH! FUCK! WHAT THE HELL IS THAT!" Hurk almost yelled as he entered. In place of where his usual attire for gladiator fights rested was a brand new set of vicious looking armor. The metal of the pieces was a scorched black. Deep orange lines ran across the metal plates in an intricate network of veins and connections. It almost seemed as if the armor breathed with life as the veins pulsated almost as if fire itself burned within them.

Moments after Hurk's unglamorous outburst Athena came bursting in, only to be caught slack jawed at the sight of such a stunning set of armor.

" _Ho… ly… shit_ …" Athena breathed as she stared and then stared again.

Almost in disbelief, Hurk moved forwards at an incredibly slow pace. His hands slowly reaching out to remove the chest piece from its mantle. As his hands came into contact with it, the armor seemed to flare to life. A gout of flames sparking the piece to life as it pulsated even stronger with burning life.

" _Unreal_ …" Hurk breathed, still stunned by the beauty and intricacy of the armor. Slowly, he turned the item over in his hands and ran a finger along the lines, admiring the fine details of the piece.

"… Quit staring and put it on already…" A scratchy grumble sounded from the corner of the room, causing both Athena and Hurk to jump at the sound.

Of course it was a voice both of them immediately recognized.

As two pairs of eyes drew to the corner of the room, they settled upon the sight of a soot covered castanic. Ysane's typically white hair was marred with ash and soot, her skin almost painted with a layer of black dust and dirt. Simply put, she was filthy beyond belief.

Rubbing her eyes and letting out an exhausted sounding yawn that suggested that she had been woken up from a nap, Ysane blinked at the pair of gladiators with a rather deadpan look on her face.

It was a simple conclusion to draw that she was the one that made the armor.

"… You…" Hurk sputtered, struggling to make words, "… Mine?" He finally managed, apparently trying to inquire as to whether or not the armor was his.

"For the match, yes." Ysane answered, sounding too tired to answer with the usual cold sarcasm she usually replied with.

"You too." The castanic continued, flicking her gaze at Athena for a moment before returning her baleful stare to Hurk.

Athena blinked for a moment before spinning on her heel and dashing off towards her own personal quarters. Moments later, an astonished gasp was heard as the red head apparently found her own set of armor waiting for her. After a few minutes, there was the sound of some overly eager crashing about and finally, Athena returned to Hurk's quarters. In such a short span of time, she had tossed off her old set of gear and secured the new armor Ysane had crafted.

It was a matching set that went along with Hurk's, being a scorched black armor with fiery veins and flares.

"Well c'mon big guy! Don't just stare at it! Put it on already!" Athena pressured Hurk, smiling like she had just opened the best Christmas gift ever.

Hurk didn't need a second push as he undressed with both women still there and tossed on the armor. It was an almost disturbingly perfect fit, almost as if Ysane had taken measurements and crafted the armor to specifically fit him.

"So…. Is _this_ what you were doing?" Athena questioned as Hurk slapped his gear together.

The answer was so glaringly obvious that even Ysane, in her exhausted state, mustered the energy to roll her eyes and scowl in response.

Regardless, Athena was completely unoffended as she squeeled and held out her arms while rushing towards Ysane with the intent to give another crushing hug…

Only to be stopped by a lifted foot in her stomach as Ysane stopped the redhead from coming within arm's reach.

"C'mon! Let me hug you!" Athena complained, still trying to move closer while Ysane kept her away.

"You have two hours." Ysane voiced a rare complaint, her tiredness getting the better of her, "You should be getting ready instead of harassing me."

"I don't think I need to get ready with this…" Hurk spoke up, having finished donning his armor.

Ysane gave both him and Athena a scanning gaze up and down before finally rising a bit unsteadily to her feet.

"Then follow." She stated flatly, her typical demeanor beginning to return. Wordlessly, she pushed out of the door to Hurk's room and moved towards the armory. In the area, there were two items wrapped in a thick black cloth that rested atop the one table in the middle of the room.

Snatching the nearest one, Ysane pulled forth a massive broadsword. Like the set of armor Hurk wore, it had several crimson and orange lines running along its spine. It's appearance almost seemed as though molten lava flowed through the core.

"Yours." Ysane stated flatly, planting the blade in the dirt floor, "For the match at least."

The castanic then turned to Athena and tossed her head in the direction of the other lump of black cloth.

Of course Athena didn't need to hear more as she promptly snatched up the items and pulled forth a matching pair of blades, identical to Hurk's in design, but cut in the same fashion as her usual blades.

"They are _beautiful_ …" Athena murmured in awe as she turned the blades over in her hands. "… But why give me a set of armor and blades? I'm not fighting in this match, only-"

"You will save his skin." Ysane interrupted none too politely, "The armor I have made for you will protect him from lethal damage, but that alone will be insufficient for him to best me."

"You think you can-" Hurk started, but yet again, Ysane butted in.

"No matter how much you have improved in the past days, you cannot make up for a lifetime of being raised on a battlefield." Ysane interrupted with a dark look on her features. It was a subtle hint as to where her past came from.

Hurk fell silent after that, deciding that listening to whatever plan Ysane had clearly thought up a long while ago was the best course of action for now.

"Alright… then how is this going to go?" Hurk inquired cooperatively.

"For a match like this and what I have planned, it is more important that you put on a show." Athena answered flatly, "Exhibit the armor and what it is capable of."

"And… how should we do that?" Athena questioned hesitantly.

"Just do as you normally do." Ysane replied with a bored look on her face, "I will handle the rest. After the match, the armor will be auctioned to the public. It will fetch a price enough to pay my debt many times over."

Athena's face seemed to pale for a moment. Many times over? Just how valuable was the armor she was wearing?

"It is a showpiece." Ysane answered the questioning look on Athena's face. "It is more display than it is functional. But most humans here are unintelligent. They will pay a high price for such flamboyant armor should you exhibit it well."

Yet again, Ysane had returned to insulting humans as a race, but both Hurk and Athena seemed to overlook it for the moment.

"I have preparations to make." Ysane continued after no complaints or questions were voiced. With that, she turned on her heel and moved towards a different corner of the staging area and into one of the vacant rooms.

Hurk and Athena, on the other hand, only watched in silence as she moved away. Only one shared thought crossed their minds.

 _Just how long was she planning all of this out?_

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

Bit of a delayed chapter and a little bit on the shorter side. I am busy, so I do apologize. Not much action here because it's being piled into the next chapter. Anyhow, hope you guys enjoyed and I hope to see you in the next chapters. Please leave any comments or suggestions should you wish to share them.

-M


	9. Chapter 9

**Playtime's End**

"Annnnnd HERE HE IS! Our beloved and celebrated warrior! The pinnacle of great sword users! The demon hunter himself! Put your hands together for HUUUUURRKKKK!"

Instant, the crowds in the stands erupted in thunderous applause and cries, cheering for the burly man as he slowly emerged from the shadows of the staging area. As he set foot in the arena, light glinted across his crimson armor. The sun shone brightly across the ornamental set as the crowd, momentarily stunned by the awe inspiring appearance of his armor, roared in approval and marvel.

Drawing on the spirits of the masses, Hurk raised his fist to the crowds, pumping his arm in the air as a means to further rally their spirits. When at last, his fist fell, it came crashing down into his other fist, creating brutish gouts of flame from the contact. The entire form of his armor seemed to breathe and pulse with burning life as it reacted to his movements.

"Will Hurk be able to triumph over his nemesis? Will he restore honor to his name?! Or will glory slip through his fingers? My fellow citizens! There is but one path before him! And that is either glory!... Or death!"

While the crowds around him cheered and rooted for his victory, Hurk only felt a very rare sensation of nervousness befall him. Only he and a few other individuals that truly understood swordsmanship knew that he was far outclassed against this opponent that he knew so little about. None the less, he had already agreed to this hair brained plan. There was only one way forwards… and that was to continue with the fight.

"And now! FOR THE CLIMACTIC CONCLUSION TO THIS SAGA! LET THE BATTLE BEGIN!"

As the announcer roared to the cheering crowds, Hurk blinked and shook his head; clenching and unclenching his fists as he bounced on the balls of his feet. _Stay loose_ his instincts told him.

On the side opposite to the burly man, the gates that typically let loose a horrid beast for him to fight slowly clanked open as the chains that pulled the doors creaked and grinded.

No beast stepped forth… But what instead seemed to emerge was a feeling of dread. With his eyes fixated on the shadows, Hurk saw a glimmer of movement. A slight glint of armor… And finally, a booted foot.

A low roar emerged from the crowd as their eyes fell upon a castanic that almost none could recognize. Jet black armor coated her form while blue veins that seethed with a cold fury pulsed with every step she took. But no matter what attractiveness her lithe form appeared to have, it was destroyed by the demonic appearance of the helmet she wore. Not a single hair of skin was displayed on the castanic's face. Even the eyes were but slits that flared a fluorescent blue.

For a moment, Hurk was stalk still; paralyzed by the sight of a woman he thought he knew and yet he didn't know at all.

Ysane stared balefully back at him, waiting for his first move as dead silence seemed to settle between them despite the crowd roaring into a frenzy. Beneath her mask, Ysane lip curled downward.

Hurk was botching up already…

With an annoyed click of her tongue that was easily drowned out by the crowd's cheering, Ysane unhinged her blade from her back; the point of the blade digging into the sandy coliseum floor with a dull crunch. As the castanic's hand swatted the handle into her grasp, another dull clunk seemed to resound throughout the stadium. A crude move to call for attention, but one that certainly managed to achieve its desired result.

Blinking out of his daze, Hurk wrenched his crimson great sword from its sheath and flung the cover to the floor, making a brilliant and flashy display of glittering armor.

Instantly, the crowd roared and cheered as their hero seemed to give a powerful display of strength and ability. The armor he wore only heightened his appearance and grandeur.

But as she usually was, Ysane was entirely unfazed. Instead, the castanic only wrenched her blade from the floor and barreled head long towards Hurk. With speed and strength that seemed out of place for a person her size, Ysane attacked first with a ferocity that one could only describe as savage. Strength and experience came together in a deadly string of attacks that instantly put Hurk on the defensive. Blow after blow rained down on the burly man, his blade blocking as much as it could, and his armor earning scars as the castanic's blows scraped and cleaved against his armored form.

Unable to find an opening, Hurk dropped all pretense of defense and instead started his own string of attacks directly into Ysane's. For a seasoned fighter, such a motion would have undoubtedly been regarded as foolish. But in this case, it was one of the better actions to take. As a nimble fighter, Ysane wasn't one that could readily take and trade blows the way Hurk could. In other words, Hurk had simply forced the battle to play to his strengths.

Despite taking a blow to the chest plate of his armor, Hurk brought his blade in a long, horizontal cleave. Unable to back step in time, Ysane was forced to bring her blade up and absorb the impact of the strike. The resounding clang seemed to echo throughout the entire arena as Ysane was flung back several steps before grinding to a halt.

Unfortunately, the strike only managed to delay the castanic in her relentless assault.

As Hurk surged forwards, Ysane rushed in to meet him. Nimbly flipping out of the way of Hurk's initial cleave, Ysane closed the distance between her and Hurk. Being of smaller stature, the castanic had a smaller minimum engagement distance than Hurk. With her momentum behind her, Ysane brought a knee up to Hurk's less armored sides, landing a crippling blow to his ribs. As he staggered and attempted to recover from such a stunning blow, Ysane spun out from under him and swung her blade.

Another vicious crash sounded throughout the arena as Hurk barely blocked the blow with his own sword. But once again, such an action was costly. Painful reverberations rattled through his blade and through his arm as improper blocking technique made his blade shudder within his own grasp.

And yet Ysane refused him any respite at all. Advancing on the crippled man, she flew into another string of vicious strikes. Like a surgeon, her blade flourished and struck Hurk, battering away and landing several scores against his armor. Until finally, she put all of her momentum behind a single spinning slash. The force from the strike ripped Hurk's weapon from his aching grasp, sending both him and his blade clattering to the sandy coliseum floor.

In an instant, the crowd cried out in anguish as they saw their beloved warrior fall to the floor, his fate seemingly sealed by this cruel demon he was pitted against. Still, they chanted and begged Hurk to return to his feet, but their words only seemed to make him stir and struggle as he attempted to crawl to his feet.

But all motions stopped when Ysane's booted foot smashed into his back and flattened him against the ground.

Cries resounded throughout the crowd as they feared the worst for their warrior…. And Ysane only obliged those cries.

Upwards, she raised her blade, allowing it to stay there in a sort of silent declaration of death before it finally swung downwards. And yet, instead of ending Hurk's life in cruel execution, the blade was met with another set of steel.

There was a flash from the corner of Ysane's eyes as a blur of crimson rushed from the shadows, halting the progress of her broad sword a mere few inches before it met with Hurk's neck.

Finally realizing who had come to their hero's rescue, the crowd cheered in relief and frenzied excitement.

Red meant but one thing, and that was their favorite gladiator.

Athena.

* * *

Like a crimson tide, Athena surged forth; her blades flourished in a vicious display of agility and speed. Blow after blow was exchanged with the castanic. If Ysane was unfazed by such a display, she certainly didn't show it.

Baring her teeth beneath her mask, Ysane parried and blocked. Deadly slices were but dodged and parried; kicks and blows absorbed into her lean frame. Still, the storm continued. Where others would have tired, Athena was relentless. Her strikes and slashes continued until her blades met with Ysane's in a tremendous clang. Blades locked together as sparks drew from the grinding force of steel. For a rare chance in time, it was now that her sixth sense had been piqued. Time flowed slowly about the crimson haired warrior. Her eyes and ears saw little but the opponent before her. Her blood broiled with heat not from fear, but from acknowledgement of the castanic that she had finally started to understand. It was no understanding of words; it was a language far more crude and instinctive. A language only shared through the clashing sounds of steel.

As if refusing Athena's argument, Ysane threw off their locked blades before rushing forth towards Athena. Into a brutal display of deadly swings, the castanic flew. Left and right her blade flashed, meeting little but thin air as yet again, Athena danced the razor's edge between life and being cleaved clean in half.

About them, the crowd roared in a frenzy as they watched with breathless eyes as Athena dazzled them with her most stunning performance yet. With speed and strength that seemed impossible for a woman her size, Ysane's blade flashed faster and faster, driving Athena back further and further as her momentum built up with each passing strike. For sure the blindingly fast battle would have continued… that is if a single mistake didn't occur.

As Athena dodged and danced, her margin of error grew increasingly thin. So thin in fact that even the smallest of changes to her balance would throw her off.

A rock.

Continuing to be driven back Athena moved as best she could until her flawless execution finally came to an end. The moment her heel fell back on the smooth surface of a pebble hidden within the sand, Athena felt all purchase from her feet vanish. By a millisecond, her recovery would be too late. No time to dodge and evade that deathly blade, Athena brought her blades up together and prepared for doom.

With a horrendous clank, Ysane's broadsword smashed into Athena's blades with such force that Athena was flung clean from her feet. To the floor, the red head crashed and tumbled to a heap; her weapons wrenched from her grip and scattering about to the floor while she rolled to a stop.

At once, the stadium was on its feet, terrified and yet exhilarated; cheering and crying for their celebrated warrior to return to her feet. No… _begging_ for their warrior to return to her feet.

Dazed from the force of the impact, Athena struggled to her feet. Her eyes were met with Ysane's armor clad form; her blade held to the side in an offensive position, ready to strike and pounce at a moment's notice. Still, that was far from the end of Athena's woes. With the blow she had absorbed, her sixth sense was completely shaken off. All at once, the sounds of the roaring crowds rushed to her, almost overwhelming her with the cheers and cries of the crowd.

For a normal individual, such an event would have petrified them. Even Athena wasn't immune to the effects. Blinking for a moment, Athena remained in a shocked stupor, completely open and vulnerable to attack.

An opportunity that Ysane had no choice but to make use of.

In a flash, the castanic surged forwards in a headlong rush before twisting and swinging her blade in what most would have seen as a killing blow. Thankfully, there was another person there to save Athena from her grim demise.

"Huuraaaahh!" Hurk roared as he swung his blade into Ysane's, the blow creating a huge clash of sparks as steel met steel again. The clash of blades yet again sent painful reverberations through both Hurk and Ysane's arms, but the pain was irrelevant. Instead, there was something far more important. The crowd.

They were going absolutely ballistic.

Throughout the entire stadium, each and every person was on their feet, hollering and cheering at the top of their lungs as Hurk had recovered and was now standing side by side with Athena. The two esteemed gladiators were cooperating together to face down this foe.

"C'mon 'thena! Get it together!" Hurk gruffly ordered as the red head finally got her bearings straight and reacquired her weapons.

Had she been in a straighter sense of mind, the crimson haired warrior would have likely shot back a cheeky answer, but for now, it was all she could do to simply shake the ringing sensation from her body and bring her blades forth.

For a moment, Athena, Hurk, and Ysane seemed to stand on opposite sides of each other, none willing to take the first move as if a silent debate was occurring between them. Calm, was the wind that flowed through the arena… but it was but a wind that was the calm before the storm.

Lowering herself, Ysane adopted an aggressive stance as she re-gripped her weapon and prepared for a continued battle. Moments later, Hurk broke the peaceful trance; the burly man surging forwards with a reckless yet heroic looking charge. Downwards, his blade cleaved, barely missing Ysane by a hair's breadth as the castanic back stepped and countered with a vicious swing of her own. Another vicious clang resounded throughout the arena as Ysane and Hurk both recoiled from the blow. Except this time, Athena was there to cover for Hurk as he recovered.

Immediately, the red headed warrior flew into the offensive as she battered back Ysane beneath a torrent of blindingly fast spins and flourishing slashes of her blades. Once again, the crowd "ooh'd" and "ahh'd" as their celebrated warrior dazzled them again and again until finally, Ysane burst forth. Like a savage, a fist swung forth, connecting with Athena's ribs and sending every last ounce of air from her lungs. She collapsed like a log on the floor.

Instantly, the crowd shot to their feet in terror as Ysane brought her blade up and immediately cleaved downwards in what seemed to be like an executioner's axe falling on the neck of a convicted felon.

Only the blade never fell. Instead, Ysane was catapulted clean off of her feet and several meters away as Hurk smacked her square in the back with a flying kick. Flames exploded from the strike as Hurk's armor reacted violently from the contact, creating an explosive force to further enhance the strike. After the blow, Hurk instantly rolled back to his feet and yanked Athena back up. The red head only responded by coughing and gasping a few times before shaking the daze off of her.

Apart from them, Ysane too drew herself back to her feet. The rear of her armor appeared scorched from the crushing blow Hurk managed to land. It was the first obvious sign that significant damage had been done to her. Never the less, Ysane returned to her trademark stance; legs bent slightly and her blade waiting behind her.

With a sideways glance at Hurk, Athena nodded at the burly man. It was time to bring the match to its finale.

Stepping behind Hurk, Athena hid herself from Ysane's view and waited for Hurk's forward push. Without direct line of sight, even Ysane wouldn't know which way to expect an attack to come from. Moments later, Hurk released an echoing roar and burst forwards with the strength of a raging bull.

Normally Ysane would have sidestepped the forward rush and gone straight after Athena, using their plan directly against them as Athena too had broken her line of sight from the castanic. But in this moment, it was not her victory to have. It simply had to look convincing.

While Hurk swung his blade upwards, Ysane brought her own crashing down. Again, the two great swords crashed together in a tremendous explosion of flames and sparks. But this time, there was a change.

Hurk's blade was cleaved clean in half. Still, Ysane's blade travelled downwards until it smashed to a painful halt, lodged within the thick metal of Hurk's shoulder plate. While the crowd was terrified and yet thrilled, Hurk responded immediately. Relinquishing his grasp on his destroyed sword, his gauntlet covered hands reached up and grabbed firmly against Ysane's blade, preventing the woman from wrenching it free.

"ATHENA! NOW!" Hurk roared.

In an instant, Athena flashed out from behind Hurk, ducking low as she circled out from behind Hurk before swinging her blades upwards. It was all as according to plan. Her blades would glance off of Ysane's armor, instead striking one of the blue veins that pulsed through her armor. Doing so would cause a release of the energy and cause an explosion that would signal an end to the fight and a beginning of their victory…

Only what she thought would happen didn't happen at all.

Rather than glance off of Ysane's armor like Athena had expected, her blades encountered no resistance at all. It was as if the castanic wasn't wearing any armor at all…

Like cutting through cloth, Athena's blades passed through what she believed to be armor and instead lodged themselves deep into Ysane's side.

There was a splash of warm liquid across Athena's hands as she involuntarily released her grip on her blades, leaving both of the thin razors lodged in Ysane's chest. Terror registered on Athena's face as she stared, stunned at the fact that she had just stabbed the castanic.

But while she felt terror, the crowd flew into a frenzy.

Stumbling backwards slightly, Ysane dropped her own weapon and instead ran a shaking hand against the blades that were impaled within her. To her, Athena, and Hurk, the roars of the crowd seemed entirely mute. Hurk and Athena were of course horrified… Then again, she was not.

All at once, Ysane's armor began to glow a violent blue, almost as if the energy within it were slowly falling out of control. Brighter and brighter the veins seemed to pulse until it was like a blinding light, painful to stare directly at.

And then it was gone.

In a brilliant flash, the armor vaporized, giving off a tremendous explosion of azure light and smoke. The entire stadium was engulfed in the strange sort of smoke before the winds finally cleared the area.

When at last, the air had cleared, nothing remained of the castanic. Only the blade that she once wielded remained lodged in the plate of Hurk's shoulder armor.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

Once again, measurable time has passed since i have been able to post updates to any of my works. Again, I ask for your understanding that my life is rather occupied with that stuff that life seems to always put in the way. I will make no excuses, but I will say that the plot for this story has been finished so my time has not been entirely consumed with work and what not. I hope you guys will enjoy what I have planned for this story and I hope to see you in the chapters to come. Please do not hesitate to leave me any comments or criticism about any of my writing.

Until Next Time,

-M


	10. Chapter 10

**Vanishing Act**

Both Athena and Hurk became nothing short of celebrities after their match against the blue devil. Or at least what everyone else in the city of Velika was referring to as the blue devil. To both Hurk and Athena, the blue devil was simply another derogatory name for Ysane. Neither one of them knew or understood what had happened after the match. How had the castanic managed to vanish right before their eyes? What did she do? Why did she tell Athena it was safe to strike her from the side when in fact there was no armor there at all?

When Athena had finally made it home, all she found was a cloth that was drenched and stained in that blue liquid. The cloth itself had a pungent odor to it, thanks to the liquid, but Athena simply discarded the smell and appearance as part of the armor that Ysane had worn during the match. Beside the cloth lay both of her crimson blades, the edges stained in a similar blue. And then of course, last, but not least, there was a small hand scrawled note beneath the blades. The handwriting was unfamiliar, but that was only because Athena had never seen Ysane's handwriting before. The message, much like Ysane's personality, was blunt and to the point.

 _Sell armor, 15k a piece, starting bid. Sell to highest bidder. Do not sell weapons. Thank you for everything._

The length of the message was almost cruel when Athena read it. For a woman who believed she had just killed the woman she had protected, such a small sliver was akin to the blow Ysane had dealt to her and knocked the wind from her chest. If it was any comfort at all, she knew that Ysane was alive… Or at least might be alive. But at the same time, the wording alone told her she wouldn't see Ysane ever again. Hurk didn't quite believe her, but Athena knew what she saw when she lodged both of her blades in Ysane's torso. Nobody could have possibly survived such a vital blow, not even someone as tough as Ysane. Whether or not the castanic was dead was simply a topic that Athena consistently switched sides on. One moment, she was dead, and Athena was mourning. The next, Ysane might still be alive and Athena was desperately searching for her.

For the moment, Athena wasn't entirely sure what she should feel. At the present time, she was likely one of the wealthiest people in the entire city of Velika. After selling her armor, she sat on a massive pile of one hundred and thirty five thousand gold; an amount unheard of by almost every citizen and an amount that even the fewest of nobles could brag about having. The armor itself had been sold off as a set to a collector who owned a museum. The owner had paid both Athena and Hurk up front for both of their armor sets which now hung on display as a monument to their victories.

Oddly enough, neither Hurk nor Athena wanted to sell the blades that Ysane had crafted for them. It was a keepsake almost, even if Hurk's blade was in two halves. But even a keepsake couldn't fill the void that seemed to replace the position that Ysane used to hold. As odd as it seemed, the haughty castanic seemed to have earned a place in their hearts despite the rather abrasive personality she had.

In the days that followed, both Hurk and Athena did their best to find their horned companion. Or at least what Athena wanted to call her friend, though Ysane likely would have scorned being called such a thing. But in the end, their search had come up fruitless. They couldn't tell anyone else that they knew Ysane had survived, and the crowds that milled about them whenever they were discovered only made searching for clues ever more difficult. In the end, both Athena and Hurk were forced to suspend their search until the buzz finally died down.

Unfortunately, patience wasn't among the things Athena was particularly strong in. Something else had to fill that void, and in the absence of what she wished to search for, she instead turned to something less healthy.

Alcohol.

"Loud… Too loud, Hurk…"

"Again, Athena… come on…" Hurk sighed as he looked at his inebriated friend.

Off to his side, Athena had her head resting on the table with her eyes half shut. Like the day before and the day before that, the red head was plastered beyond belief.

"Mmm….nnnnnn…" Athena groaned in response.

"C'mon, 'thena… Just go back to sleep." Hurk attempted to encourage her as he lifted her to her feet and guided her to her couch.

"nnn..ooooo…." Athena grumbled as she attempted to resist Hurk's efforts. "Find…. Ysane…"

"We'll look for her in a week, alright?" Hurk tried to soothe Athena. An odd sight, considering such a scene usually had the two in the exact opposite position.

For a moment, Athena seemed to stop resisting… Until she immediately started bawling out of her mind.

"I.. K-K-KILLED HER…." She sobbed uncontrollably, tears streaming from her eyes as she wobbled on her feet until Hurk guided her down to the couch where she curled up into a ball and continued crying.

"I… Killed…. I… Killed her…. And she trusted me!"

" 'Thena, you didn't kill anyone, I'm sure she's fine… She left the note, didn't she? Surely, she's still alive…"

"S-S-SHE COULD HAVE PLACED IT THERE BEFORE THE MATCH!" Athena sobbed back, her voice drunkenly loud.

Hurk didn't have a response to that, seeing as it could have been a possibility. In fact, given all the preparations Ysane had made, logic would have pointed exactly in that direction. In the end, all he could do was attempt to get the red head to sleep, so that's exactly what he did…

"You'll feel better after you get some rest, 'thena." Hurk pressed as he patted his friend on the shoulder, doing his best to awkwardly comfort his friend. As one would imagine, Hurk wasn't exactly an expert in being kind and gentle.

Never the less, his efforts were at least moderately rewarded as Athena seemed to stop sobbing uncontrollably and only sniffle a bit here and there. A few minutes later, she had finally passed out into the forgiving clouds of unconsciousness.

"… I swear…." Hurk sighed to himself as he rose off of the couch and strolled back to Athena's kitchen table to start clearing bottles off of the surface.

It was bad that they were cooped up in Athena's house to avoid the crowds that wanted to follow them everywhere…

It was even worse that Athena had managed to sink into alcohol at a time like this…

* * *

 _Hours Later..._

Athena rose from her alcohol induced slumber several hours later, finding the smell of food filling her modest house. As she rose to her feet and shuffled her way to the kitchen, her eyes were met with the rather unfitting sight of Hurk wearing an apron that was far too small for him as he stirred a large pot of bubbling red sauce.

Pasta.

Spaghetti.

Food.

"Ha-! Ow…" Athena started to laugh, when she caught sight of her burly friend, only to stop short when a searing pain cut through her head. It was then that Athena realized she was absolutely ravenous, having gone the majority of the day without consuming much other than alcohol.

Of course her voice managed to draw Hurk's attention to the doorway.

"Shut up, 'thena…" Hurk grumbled, his voice a mixture of annoyed and embarrassed.

"Didn't say nothin'." Athena answered with that trademark cheeky grin of hers, though she once again winced and brought a hand to her head.

"Hangover?" Hurk questioned as he watched Athena shuffle to the kitchen table.

"Hangover." Athena agreed as she settled down with a sigh. Remarkably enough, as she sat and waited for Hurk to finish cooking, her mind didn't wander towards those dreaded topics that alcohol had attempted to drown out. For the moment, her mind was curiously… _blank_.

"How much do you want?" Hurk asked a few minutes later, startling the red head slightly as she realized she had been staring off completely aimlessly for a good bit.

"Uhm… All of it." Athena answered, causing Hurk to raise an eyebrow. "I'm hungry."

Hurk gave her a snort as he rolled his eyes and plated a huge heap of pasta and meatballs on a platter and set it down in front of Athena. In a normal situation, the sight would have appeared almost comical, seeing as how one would never expect Athena to consume that much food…

Then again, not many people knew Athena as well as Hurk did, and Athena _did_ manage to skip the majority of the day's meals…

"So…" Hurk attempted to start up a conversation while Athena attacked her pasta like it was first meal she had in several days. "Plans for tomorrow or something?"

Athena glanced up as she continued shoveling down her food at an alarming rate.

"Nope."

"Me neither."

Athena rewarded Hurk with a snort in response. Of course they didn't have plans… Not when they had crowds of people that wanted to mob them whenever they were out and about.

Silence settled between them for a moment when Hurk rose back to his feet to serve himself his own plate of pasta. For a while, there was nothing more than the sound of silverware and dishes as the two consumed their meal. Granted, Athena's pace had slowed to a less ravenous rate…

"Hey Hurk…" Athena spoke up after she felt that she needed a bit of a break from her meal.

"mm." Hurk grunted in response.

"Do you… Think we'll see her again?"

Immediately, Hurk knew who Athena was talking about.

"I'm sure she'll turn up eventually." Hurk reassured the red head. "Besides, I still have to kick her ass."

For the first time in a long while, a genuine smile seemed to spread across Athena's face as she wryly recalled Hurk's proclamation. Still, she remained silent as she almost fondly recalled the memory.

"Hey." Hurk grunted, his face still in his food.

"Huh?" Athena mumbled back, still rather pensive.

"We'll find her. Alright? Stop worrying…" Hurk stated firmly.

Athena shook her head and fixed Hurk with one of those doubtful looks.

"You know usually I'm the one giving you votes of confidence, not the other way around." The red head teased.

"Bullllllll shittt.." Hurk answered, sounding like he was ready to argue the point.

"Oh, come on now Hurk, you know I'm-"

- _knock knock knock-_

Just as Athena was about to oblige Hurk in their typical little banter, she was interrupted by a rather harsh pounding at the front door.

"Urgh… I swear to god if it's those people again." Athena grunted as she rose to her feet. In the previous few days, some of the more zealous fans had mustered the courage to come attempt to visit Athena at her own private residence. Needless to say, it was getting rather tiring at this point.

"I'm sorry, I'm not receiving visitors at this…." Athena started, but quickly stopped as she opened the door to her residence. Standing before her was no individual that looked like any sort of fan or gladiator enthusiast. Instead, all she found was a single woman, dressed in a heavily marred set of armor. Behind her, a strange array of races and genders all stood at attention.

"Find it." The woman standing directly in front of Athena barked.

Instantly, the troops behind her filed into a line and shoved roughly past Athena and into her home.

"Oi! HEY! What the hell are you doing? You can't just barge in like this, who do you-"

"I am Commander Julia Stark, AAC. Anti-Argon Coalition." The woman spoke to Athena in a tone that was harsh and to the point.

"Yeah? I'm Athena, what are you doing here and why… Hey don't touch that!" Athena stopped mid-sentence as one of the troops overturned one of her couches.

"We've been tracking a VIP." Stark continued as if Athena hadn't voiced any complaints or asked any questions, "And by a VIP, I do not mean a good one. You had best stand aside and let us conduct our business unless you have anything to help us in our search for this individual."

Bewildered, Athena's mouth opened and closed wordlessly as she tried and failed to come up with a fitting response.

"Commander! I've got something!" A voice rang out from within Athena's home.

Shoving past Athena, Stark strode into the residence and approached the soldier that had spoken.

"It's blood alright. Fresh too. A week maybe. Probably less." The trooper reported.

In his hands, he held both of Athena's blood stained blades which were still coated in the crusty blue liquid from her match in the arena.

"Found another one!" Another voice spoke up, this time a different soldier rushed up with the blue stained towel Athena had tossed aside a few days earlier.

Commander Stark took the blades and turned them over in her hands for a moment as if she were carefully observing them. After a while, she placed them down on a nearby table and turned to Athena.

"You owe me an explanation." She stated in a low, commanding voice.

"Owe you?" Athena echoed incredulously, "I don't owe you anything! You barge in here, interrupt my meal, wreck half of my stuff, and you expect _me_ to be giving you an explanation?! YOU are the one that should be explaining all this to _me_!"

Stark's eyes flickered with a flame of anger before she reached out and grabbed Athena by the scruff of her shirt and dragged her in close.

"You listen here, girl. We are wasting time here. Every minute that you spend not telling me where IT went, more lives are at danger. Spare me your pathetic excuses and tell me where it went. You wounded it. Those are your blades. Where did it go?"

"It? Who? What are you even talking about, yeah those are my blades-"

"'Thena, what's going on?" Hurk interrupted as he rushed up behind the red head.

Commander Stark promptly released her hold on Athena and instead turned to Hurk.

"Maybe you can tell me. Where did it go? Where is the Argon?"

"Argon? Here? What the hell are you talking about?" Hurk spat back, clearly not trying to sound polite in any way, shape, or form.

A vein in the commander's temple seemed to bulge and twitch at Hurk's rude comments, but she took a breath and allowed her impatience to subside.

"The VIP we are searching for is not an enemy to Humans, Elves, Castanics, Baraka, Elin, Popori… It is an enemy to all, and it is something that can bring about the very end to Arun as we know it." Stark explained in as concise an explanation as possible. "It's an Argon. The very same type of Argon that has gained a foothold in Val Kaeli north of Kaiator. But this thing isn't any normal Argon. It's a hybrid, and if it slips through our grasp, it could strike anywhere, anytime, and we wouldn't know it."

"Look, I don't know about any hybrid or Argon," Athena answered with complete honesty, "I mean if you're talking about Ysane, we've been looking for her too, but we can't find a trace of where she-"

"Ysane…" Stark repeated, "You mean it's given itself a name now?"

The commander looked away and her posture seemed to sag with desperation for a moment.

"Alika, get word to central that the hybrid is learning faster than the projected schedule. We need more manpower to find it. Shinya, have the rest of the company expand the search area."

" _Ma'am!_ " The respective soldiers snapped off a salute before rushing out with their orders.

"I don't…" Athena started, "I mean what makes her such a threat? Sure she's a great fighter, but I mean what makes her so-"

"She's a hybrid, Athena… And if it makes things any graver for me to tell you, she's a princess. Heir to the Argon Empire." Stark pressed, sounding far less offensive and definitely more civil. "She's not like any Argon. She thinks and behaves adaptively. She isn't a puppet like the rest of the Argons that are controlled directly by the Queen."

"Queen… You mean Shandra Manaya?" Hurk spoke up for the first time.

Stark turned her gaze to him and nodded in a grave manner.

Hurk took an unconscious gulp.

"What makes it dangerous is that it has the strength and power of an argon and yet the brains and processing speed of any one of us. It learns. It adapts." Stark continued, "And pretty soon it will learn every last bit about us. How to trick us. How to make us think it is one of us. Then it will be mass produced and soon units like it will spread like a disease throughout Arun. By then, we've already lost the war. Use your imagination to tell yourselves what they could do once they have infiltrated us that far."

Athena and Hurk remained silent as they tried to take in the massive volume of information that had been dumped in their laps.

"Seems like it duped you guys pretty good." Stark continued as she turned her back to the pair and started moving towards the door, motioning for her troops to follow.

"You're lucky you're alive." Stark called out behind her as she stepped out. "That thing has killed a lot of people."

Again, silence answered Stark's words until at last, Athena straightened herself and called out.

"Wait." The red head spoke up, her voice loud and clear.

Stark paused for half a moment and looked over her shoulder. Behind her, Athena stared directly at the commander; her eyes firm and resolute.

"I want to enlist."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

It is remarkably early for me to post another chapter so soon, but I will say that I was working on this chapter along side the previous. This chapter is a bit of a means to move the plot along to the next arc, but I hope you guys will enjoy it none the less. I did drop a few big plot bombs in here so if I botched something up, please feel free to point them out to me. Thank you all for your support for this story and I hope to see you in the chapters to come.

Until next time,

-M


	11. Chapter 11

**Allemantheia**

Hurk jostled and shifted in his uncomfortable seat in the rear carriage he was riding in. Around him, there were no sounds of idle chatter or enjoyment, only the glum sounds of horse hooves clattering along a dirt road, coupled with the grinding sounds of the carriage wheels. Across from the burly man sat his longtime friend and now a travelling companion, Athena.

The red head's eyes were turned off into the distance, gazing almost blankly as if they were trying to find answers in the mountains so far away. Granted, while Athena's eyes appeared to be blank and staring off at nothing… which was in fact not a very clean reflection of what was going on inside her mind at all. Then again, it was given what was on the gladiator's mind…

* * *

 _One Day Earlier…_

" _You want to enlist_ …?" Stark repeated, shifting her weight to one leg as if she didn't quite believe her ears. "Listen red-head, I need soldiers… Not somebody who knows how to put on a show, not somebody who knows how to spin a few blades. A soldier. Someone who isn't afraid of death, who isn't going to question my orders, and more important, who isn't somebody who can't recognize an enemy when they see one!"

In an instant, it seemed as if Athena was bristling with anger, her eyes already burning up with those flames of fury. She felt insulted by the commander's words, almost as if Stark were making an attack on not only Athena, but the friend that she knew she had in Ysane… Or at least she thought that she had in Ysane.

"Afraid of death? I wouldn't step foot in that arena if I were afraid of death!" Athena countered heatedly, "And secondly, Ys-"

"We will learn quickly." Hurk interrupted Athena in a very rare gesture of cutting the woman off.

Athena immediately whirled about and shot a glare at Hurk, but the burly man simply shook his head subtly in warning for her not to argue with the commander. The red head was clearly agitated at the moment, and quite willing to put up a heated fight with Stark, but Hurk knew that was the exact opposite of what they needed. For now, they needed to court the commander's favor if they wanted to earn a place in this makeshift task force of theirs, even if that meant bending over backwards a bit..

Stark turned her measuring gaze to Hurk for a moment as if she were considering his words rather carefully.

"Besides, we are the ones that inflicted such an injury on her. Even if she was simply playing along, we alone have more combat experience against her than any of you. From what it sounds like, all you guys have been trying to do is catch up to her." Hurk continued, making an astoundingly reasonable argument. "You're doing a good job of tracking her, I'll give you that, but what happens when you finally catch up? You would be walking blind into her, not knowing anything about how she fights or what she has up her sleeves."

"And you do?" Stark countered readily, her eyes narrowing rather suspiciously.

Hurk met the woman's gaze with an even and unphased look.

"Better than you do." Hurk answered.

Stark twitched at what sounded like an insolent answer, but even she had to recognize that Hurk had a point.

"Then what is your experience in fighting this thing?" She pressed, clearly trying to squeeze more information out of Hurk.

"I fought her twice in the arena." Hurk answered stiffly.

"And?" Stark continued pressing.

"Lost both times." Hurk finally huffed, his face turning a bit red with embarrassment.

"Great! So you're a looser that got his ass kicked a few times. I don't-"

"The second time he might have lost, but that was the time we did _that_ to her." Athena interrupted, tossing her head in the direction of the stained blades on the nearby table.

A bit of silence settled on the group as everyone mutely acknowledged that Athena and Hurk were very much able to inflict some sort of injury on this thing they were hunting… Unlike the rest of the coalition, the two had fought and perhaps even come out victorious against her.

"It's your call." Athena continued, her voice much more even now that she had seen the direction Hurk was taking with the conversation. "But we are the only ones that manage to even leave a scratch on her, while the rest of you have been simply chasing her."

"And I am to take that as a guarantee that you can eliminate or capture this threat once we do catch up to her?" Stark questioned in a low tone.

Athena balked for a moment, unwilling to say she would knowingly _kill_ Ysane.

"… I won't kill her." She admitted honestly, "At least not until I know for sure who or what she is and which side she is on."

As expected, the commander was less than impressed with Athena's lack of commitment with such an answer, but Stark already knew that she needed as much information about Ysane as she could get. For now, taking up Athena's offer was in her best interest.

"Fine." Stark snapped before turning on her heel. "You have thirty minutes to gather your things. We head out immediately."

As she turned away and began moving back to her mobile headquarters just outside the city, Stark merely muttered a few dark words to herself.

"If you won't kill her on the spot, I'll just do it myself."

* * *

 _Present Time…_

"… Alika, Shinya, Cris, you three are on supplies. Make sure there's enough for another round. Markus, Dean, you're on first watch. Were in the city boundary, but that doesn't mean there's nothing to look out for. Allemantheia's a safe place, I don't expect much to happen, but we never know. Rest of you, you're on standby and rest. Feel free to go about the city, but I don't want to hear of any trouble. If it happens, you know what your punishment will be. Dismissed." Stark finished with a curt salute to her coalition.

For a few moments, Athena and Hurk simply watched as the group dispersed. Most headed off in the same direction, likely a bar for some much needed rest or companionship. Then again, it was definitely much more convenient for the two friends, seeing as their destination took them in the opposite direction.

"Right. Lets go." Athena spoke up after a minute or so had passed. With that, the red headed woman spun on her heel and moved off towards the industrial section of Allemantheia.

Hurk simply followed without saying much. His eyes were rather occupied with taking in the sight of such towering sky scrapers and other magics that he hadn't quite seen before. Unlike Athena, who was rather tunnel-visioned on her objective, Hurk was rather easily distracted by such sights…

So who was it exactly that Athena was so intent on visiting?

The simple answer was a rather uncommon sort of elf. Throughout some parts of the world, she was known as a genius. Others simply called her insane. But what was undeniable was the fact that even among the wisdom of the elves, she was rare breed. By tradition, elves were known to be born with an inherent affinity for magic. Many of the world's strongest mages and priests were of elven descent… But despite that, there so happened a case, every few hundred years, that an elf was born without a single ounce of magic in their system.

"I still don't think it's a good idea showing this thing to anyone… Even _her_ …" Hurk spoke up as he and Athena slowly made their way down an oily smelling road.

"I don't blame you." Athena replied flatly, though she made no motion of stopping or turning back around. It was a subtle gesture of saying this was their only option.

"I mean what if she talks? What then?" Hurk continued right on voicing his worries, "For all we know, they think this is just another one of my swords."

"Look, big guy… " Athena sighed, "We know as little as they do as to where Ysane ran off to. If this gives us a hint, it will be worth it. I want answers from her… It's the least I can ask for."

Hurk merely bit his lip for once and let Athena have her way. It wasn't like he was going to convince her after she was like this. When the red head had that look in her eye, he simply knew all there was he could do was support her in achieving the ends she sought.

A few minutes later, the two found themselves nearing a rather dingy looking warehouse entrance. The front doors were far less cared for than how the rest of Allemantheia's flawless appearance, and the entire atmosphere of the building gave off a distinct aura of indifference. Whoever the owner was, they clearly were not concerned about maintaining a very prim and proper appearance.

- _Crash- -Clank!-_

"Son of a F #%&*B$&%!"

Both Athena and Hurk paused and glanced at each other as torrent of explicatives echoed from within the workshop.

A few more clanks and heavy sounding thumps resounded from within before both Hurk and Athena cautiously made their way to the open door and peered in.

The interior of the workshop was, just like the outside of the building, quite a glorious disaster. Parts and bits from different machines lay strewn about various tables. Half completed projects lay gathering dust on certain shelves, while others seemed remarkably clean and polished. Over all, the workshop was probably the most stereotypical workshop out of any other industrial area. Only this one was oddly out of place being in the middle of Allemantheia.

Glancing about the entrance to the area, Athena found a dented metal sheet leaning against the wall. With a shrug, she reached out and rapped her knuckles against the cold surface, creating a remarkably loud knocking sound.

"Give me a minute!" Came a shout from the back of the workshop.

Athena glanced at Hurk and shrugged as she settled down and continued looking about the area.

A few minutes later, a tall, slender elf appeared shoved her way through a door. Much like others of her race, her hair was of a pale, golden hue. Her eyes shone a resplendent deep blue, and she stood at a remarkably towering height, equal if not perhaps an inch above Hurk.

"Humans? That's uncommon." She commented with a slightly curious raise of an eyebrow.

"Why is that the first thing that everyone says about us?" Athena answered back, a quizzical edge to her voice suggesting she was legitimately baffled by the elf's choice of a greeting. "Athena, by the way. The big guy here's Hurk. Nice to meet you."

"Right. F*ckin' formalities- Ahem! Luna. The pleasure is mine." The elf replied with a small bow. She made her words look foreign to her tongue, though her etiquette in greeting was spot on. "Now, I'm sure you didn't come here to ask me for a magic lesson, right? What can I help you with?"

Hurk made a small snort and bit back a small smile, apparently finding the woman's joke to be humorous. Athena, on the other hand, shot him a look that clearly told him not to laugh at Luna's lack of magical prowess.

"Relax. I wouldn't joke about it if it pissed me off." Luna spoke up, her words directed towards Athena. "Besides, not having magic means I don't have to deal with that book crap that all those other elves shove up their asses."

Again, Athena found herself blinking in response to the crude way Luna opted to express herself. Typically, elves conducted themselves in a very proper way. Many people found such mannerisms to be rather condescending and sometimes even took offense to it. But Luna was the exact opposite; she was crass, crude, and honestly very vulgar for a high elf.

"Right… Uhm… I was wondering if you could take a look at a blade for us…" Athena continued after she regained her voice. She glanced at Hurk as if silently telling him to bring forth the broadsword on his back.

Hurk seemed to pause for a moment, as if he were debating on whether or not this was actually a good idea, but eventually gave in after Athena gave him that expectant eye of hers.

"Appraisal, huh?" Luna questioned as Hurk lifted the blade from his back and set it down on a table in front of them. "You know there's probably a better blacksmith who could appraise it for you."

None the less, Luna approached the blade and gently laid her fingers on the black coated surface of the weapon. Instantly, her eyes registered a bit of a confused look. With a frown, she moved closer, this time taking a few fingers and pressing it against the flat of the blade and rocked the weapon back and forth.

Yes… Something was definitely off.

It was light. Far too light for a broadsword of this size. The surface of the blade seemed to be some sort of scorched carbon steel, but steel was immensely dense and incredibly heavy. Just pressing on the blade while it rested on the table shouldn't have caused it to budge even a hair.

Lifting her gaze back to Athena, and then to Hurk, and back to Athena, Luna's eyes narrowed a bit before she produced a thin metal knife from a nearby drawer. As she brought the knife close to Ysane's blade, however, Athena cleared her throat.

Another glance lifted Luna's eyes to Athena's. Finally, Luna pressed her lips to a thin line before swiftly striding off to the closest wall and flipping a few switches.

About the area, several machines hummed to life. A few disturbingly dangerous showers of sparks issued from a few sections of the room, but eventually they stabilized into an audible hum.

"Good enough, yeah?" Luna questioned.

Athena nodded in response. Hurk, on the other hand, had no idea what was going on.

"… 'thena?" He questioned cluelessly.

"Jammers." The red head answered, "Don't want extra eyes to be spying on us."

"Ah." Hurk grunted, finally catching on.

In other words, the machines Luna had activated created a field that would block any outsiders from spying or hearing their conversation with magic unless they were within the field and able to see or hear with their own senses.

At last, Luna pulled over a stool to the workbench that Ysane's blade rested on and brought her thin razor to the surface of the blade. Scraping the surface revealed just as the elf expected. The thin outer layer of the great sword easily peeled away after pressure was applied from the right angle. Beneath the thin, coating? Well, what was beneath was a dead giveaway as to the origins of the blade. The entire length of the blade was a glossy black; running through the core of the blade, several pulsating lines of fluorescent blue.

"Incredible." Luna commented; her voice low as she matted down the peeled section and re-covered it with the coating she had lifted to peer beneath. "Something like this would make you either a very very rich person… or a very _very_ wanted person."

The elf paused for a moment as she lifted the blade off of the table and turned it over in her hands. As she did that, she rose from her seat and slowly paced back and forth, blade still in her hands.

"Variable mass… Made out of _that_ metal that only _they_ have… Fused energy core in the hilt… and it's still active." Luna stopped as she realized that the core in the blade was still pulsing faintly with life. "That's impossible… If it's still pulsing, then the blade's wielder is still alive."

Turning back to Athena, her gaze met with Athena's own baleful stare.

Finally, Luna set the blade back down and sat down on the stool she had pulled up. She silently motioned for Athena to sit across from her.

"… _Where did you get this…?_ " Luna whispered, her tone no longer of awe, but of concern.

Athena didn't answer her. Instead, she simply answered with a very even stare into the other's eyes.

"… _or should I ask how did you get this?_ "

No answer.

"… _No Argon would willingly forgo its weapon…_ " Luna continued, quietly musing her thought process to Athena. "… _but the core is still functional… which means the host is alive… it's impossible to simply steal the weapon… which means it gave it to you?"_

Again, Athena continued her even stare at the other. Luna was most definitely on the right track, and rapidly unraveling the source of the weapon.

" _But no Argon is capable of just…"_ Luna stopped as she sat up straighter and stared at Athena.

" _This one is special… isn't it?... No… it's more than that…_ You're still looking for it, aren't you?"

Athena finally nodded.

"No… You're not looking for it… You are looking for… _him_ …" Luna finally voiced. When Athena didn't react, she corrected herself. "It's _her_. Isn't it? You're looking for her… an Argon with free will."

Silence settled for a moment as Luna took in the information before her.

"Listen, Athena… You can't trust an Argon. I don't care what you think you saw, I don't care what it did to earn your trust… They are _all_ linked to the queen, and they are _all_ the enemy."

"Look at the blade and tell me that again." Athena countered.

With a reluctant sigh, Luna returned to the blade, once again scrutinizing the craftsmanship behind it. Just like before, she could tell the blade had Argon origins, but when she pushed that to the back seat, she began to notice something else. Subtle characteristics in the shape of the blade, small nuances that gave the blade a unique and customized feel, almost as if it had been tuned to a user's preference. But above all of that, it was the technique that forged the metal.

In a single word? Castanic.

There was no way the blade could have been forged other than such a signature technique. The material behind the blade might have been different, but the technique had the telltale signs of having the metal folded and hammered, then folded and hammered again over and over until the metal had condensed to such a degree that it was near unbreakable.

Finally, Luna realized that the blade was no simple mass produced weapon from an Argon war machine. It was a blade that had been hand crafted and tailored to fit the style and use of the one who had built it.

It was no feat a normal Argon could complete, and definitely not one any normal humanoid could either. It took something special that was a mix of both. A hybrid.

"You're walking a fine line here, Athena…" Luna warned, "If that thing is any lick of how little I think it can be trusted, it can and will lead to our extinction."

"…"

"You're still going to look for it?"

"Her."

"Fine. You're still going to look for _her_?"

"Yes."

This time, it was Hurk that had answered.

Luna spared him half a glance and recognized that they were both entirely serious.

"Can you use that to help us find her?" Athena questioned.

"No…" Luna answered with a grim sigh, "At least not directly. But what I can say is that the pulse the blade gives off will grow stronger the closer it is to its host. It should resonate, if you understand what I mean."

Silence settled between them as Athena and Hurk pondered their options. When a few minutes had passed, Athena nodded at Hurk and the red head returned to her feet. Hurk gripped the hilt of the blade and returned it to its sheath.

"Luna, thank you very much for your time. I do appreciate the information you have given us." Athena cordially spoke before producing a small sack filled with a rather generous amount of gold coins.

Yet, what Luna answered with was rather surprising. She didn't take the gold offered to her.

"You can keep that. I want something else in payment though." Luna spoke up.

Athena's lips pressed into a thin line as she prepared to hear some sort of threat of blackmail, but again, Luna surprised her.

With a snap of her fingers, a small automaton rolled out from the back of the warehouse, carrying a decent sized backpack and an oddly shaped tube that resembled some sort of cannon.

"I'm coming with you." Luna spoke up, "And I'm going to meet this thing or woman, whatever the F*ck you want to call it."

Athena opened her mouth to protest, but Luna cut her off.

"Before you think about complaining, I am trained in combat, and I'm the best demolitionist in Allemantheia by a country mile. Don't even need magic to take down a building, just some smarts, science, and know how. Besides, I just finished making this thing a few days ago and I want to try it." The elf finished with a gentle pat on the arc cannon by her side. "You'll let me come, right Hurk?~" She pressed, suddenly turning her attention to the burly man with her most charming smile possible.

Hurk only stiffened and felt his face heating up before he let out a snort and turned away.

Luna laughed winningly at that.

"Relax, I won't stab you in the back. I've got enough enemies as it is." Luna coaxed Athena.

The red head finally sighed and shook her head.

"Fine. Do what you want, just not a word about any of this."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

Another rather late update to the story. This will likely be fairly normal now that I have a full time job I must commit to. None the less, for those of you who are still following this story, I thank you for reading and I appreciate your support of my works. I appreciate any feedback you have for me and I hope to see you in the chapters to come.

-M


	12. Chapter 12

**Elusive**

Being deliberately stabbed in the side was by no means a good idea for any mortal. The same held true for Ysane, despite being not quite so mortal. Dazed and dizzy, the castanic barely managed to elude the jubilant eyes of the coliseum crowd before she found the rotting corpse of the dracoloth she had slain the week before.

Her escape route was grotesque, and by no means elegant, but in the condition she was in now, she had little an option. Pulling a small knife stolen from Athena's kitchen, Ysane made a thin incision through the rotting drake's soft underbelly. Another cut… another cut… until finally, she finally breached the membrane she was searching for. The stomach.

In an instant, the rancid smell washed over the castanic, making her feel nauseous, and threatening even more to take her fading consciousness. Pure will and iron blooded resolve kept the woman on her feet. But if this was bad, things were only going to get worse. Grimly, Ysane shut her eyes and took what was likely to be her last breath of semi fresh air for the next day or so before grimly gripping the sides of the incision she had cut… And climbing head first into the dark, putrid bag of rotting flesh.

* * *

Trash, in Velika, was removed from the city and incinerated and burned in magical cylinders. They were quite an unappreciated convenience in the city, and something that came about from collaboration with the city of Allemanthea. The elves created the magic to power such systems, while the humans created the machinery to house and channel such energy. Unfortunately, such large corpses, such as the ones of slain monsters in the coliseum were simply too large for the cylinders to dismantle. In such cases, the bodies were simply moved out of the city and into a large, rather unceremonious landfill to decompose over time. In the days that followed Ysane's retreat into her disgusting hiding place, the dracoloth's body was moved and dumped in this very same location.

"Rrruff! Rrruff!"

-snort-

-lick- -lick- -lick-

-pant-pant-pant-

"Rrrruf!"

"Gnnrnphh! Stop it." Ysane blearily growled before her hand reached up to her face and pushed away the damp object that incessantly licked and breathed over her face.

"Ruf-Ruf-Rrrrruff!"

Finally, the castanic's eyes cracked open, finding a damp nose and loose tongue hanging out of an oblong mouth.

Dog.

For a moment, Ysane stared at the pair of beady brown eyes staring far too happily back at her before the castanic issued another grunt and pushed the dog's muddled snout away. Much to her surprise, the snout moved far further than she was trying to push it as the dog toppled over onto its side before quickly righting itself and attempting to lick her again.

As Ysane pulled herself into a sitting position, she eyed the dingy looking dog with a bit of skepticism as to why its balance was so poor. But as she tilted her head around its body, she quickly discovered the reason.

It had a mangled leg, one that looked to have been broken, and then healed improperly. In short, its rear right leg was no longer functional. A part of Ysane felt pity. Or at least what she believed was some form of pity… if she could even feel pity at all…

With a shake of her head, the castanic dispelled her thoughts and refocused on recovering her bearings. Behind her lay the now fully rotten corpse of the dracoloth she had slain. A quick glance at herself and Ysane quickly confirmed her state. It matched her expectations exactly. Her form was smeared red and brown, crusted with dried blood from the body of the dracoloth. The castanic's scent was likely completely marred by the rancid smell of the corpse she had taken refuge in. Falling out of the corpse wasn't exactly part of the plan, and she was undoubtedly lucky to not have had her unconscious body spotted amongst the other corpses. Then again, she probably had a certain furry creature to blame for that…

Namely, her left boot that laid about five meters away and was chewed up gloriously.

Ysane's eyes travelled back to the dog that had now lain down in front of her, almost as if it was pretending it didn't know what had happened. On the other hand, Ysane had a sinking suspicion that the dog had pulled her from her rotten hiding place in its attempts to acquire its new chew toy. Apparently the dog had been quite successful in its endeavor…

Subconsciously suppressing the urge to roll her eyes at the dog, Ysane finally pushed herself back to her feet. She took a few unsteady steps before fully regaining her balance. A quick glance around to check that nobody was watching her and Ysane inconspicuously made her way towards the nearest tree line.

Once there, instinct and training took over… with one small exception… The dog from before hobbled along after her, making plenty of grunts and noisy shuffles as it caught up to her.

"Shoo." Ysane grunted back at the dog, making a dismissive wave with her hand.

The dog halted in its place a few meters back and tilted its head at Ysane.

"Go away." The castanic reiterated, trying to rid herself of the overly friendly creature, trying to wave away the dog.

-Lick!-

The dog instead licked her hand and sat down beside her, staring up at the castanic's face as if it was expecting a reward.

Reward…

"Tch." Ysane clicked her tongue, sounding annoyed, but not quite as harsh as she usually was.

Turning her back on the dog, Ysane did her best to continue along her way. Swiftly, she moved away from the city and further into the wilderness. Still, she couldn't help but periodically check behind her. Much to her annoyance, or perhaps some subconscious relief, her new furry friend was always found a few meters back, hobbling along and managing to keep pace with her.

Before long, however, the sun quickly waned behind the distant mountains. Ysane's travelling finally slowed to a halt as fatigue finally caught up to her. The distance she had covered was remarkable by ordinary means. It was made even more so by the fact that her body was still in poor condition. She was spent, to say the least. Her body had used most of its resources in recovering from the wounds she sustained in the fight. Furthermore, she had gone almost two days with no food and nothing but rotten blood from the dracoloth corpse to drink. Rest was something she could no longer ignore.

With a weary, much deserved sigh, Ysane found shelter in the shadows of a dense clump of brush, well hidden from view from almost every angle. It didn't take long before unconsciousness retook her mind.

* * *

 _Later..._

Ysane's eyes cracked open to the sight of the bright sun streaming down between the leaves of the forest she was hiding in. Rolling to her side, she immediately bumped into a now familiar lump of fur. Several days had passed since she had taken refuge in the dense forest around Velika.

Dog still hadn't left her side.

Again, Ysane shook her head in annoyance. Perhaps now it was more with exasperation than it was anger. Whether she acknowledged it or not, the dog's persistence did have an uncanny resemblance to somebody else that the castanic knew…

" _No._ " Ysane told herself immediately. She wasn't going to think about that right now. She had other priorities. Still, curiosity nagged at the back of the castanic's mind. It was a strange feeling. Typically, her mind was focused and razor sharp, intent on the next objective, but now she was distracted. That damned infernal redhead was bothering her even when she wasn't around…

Thankfully enough, her new furry friend interrupted Ysane's thoughts by giving her face a good lick.

"Stop." Ysane growled at the dog, once again pushing the dog's muzzle away, causing it to topple over comically.

Rising into a seated position, Ysane gave the dog a long, hard look. On one hand, his presence was refreshing. Having a travelling companion was a luxury that Ysane never allowed herself. Another being, be it person or animal, was another potential failure point… An added risk that Ysane didn't need. And yet, the more Ysane thought about how she felt, the more she noticed the lack of something. _Something_ …

Still, the castanic couldn't put a finger on it. Confusion muddled Ysane's mind as she tried to shove the thoughts of lonely solitude aside. In the past, it always worked… but for some reason, when she tried it now, the thoughts seemed to shove right back and nag even more so than before.

"Tch!" Ysane sounded aloud for what was probably the hundredth time in the past couple days. Thankfully, another distraction struck her, this time in the form of her stomach giving her a painful pang of hunger. Digging back into what tattered remains of the ceremonial armor she wore, Ysane produced the one kitchen knife she had stolen from Athena's home. It was little, but it was more than enough for a quick hunt for small game…

A few hours later, Ysane had the smallest of campfires set in a small clearing beside a suitably small creek. Above the fire sat a roasting rabbit. Larger game was certainly an option for Ysane, but although that meant more food, it also meant a larger footprint. She still had a low profile to keep after all…

Beside the castanic, Dog lay on the floor, eyeing the roasting hare while drooling a bit more than normal.

In typical fashion, Ysane didn't come up for a name for the creature, so she simply opted to call him as generic a name as possible. Dog quickly became his name, and whether or not she wanted to acknowledge it, applying a name to her new furry friend was most certainly an indication of growing attachment… A part of Ysane knew this, yet she couldn't quite bring herself to simply abandon the animal.

"Tch…" Ysane chided herself.

She was definitely growing soft.

Dismissing the fact, Ysane finally removed her meal from the fire before tearing off several chunks of meat and tossing them in Dog's direction.

Happy as ever, he plowed straight through all the food thrown his way.

A rare hint of a smile crossed Ysane's features as she watched Dog guzzle his meal. None the less, the look on Ysane's face passed as quickly as a summer breeze before she too turned to her meal. She didn't eat much, just enough to sustain her body's health and sate her natural needs. It was poor form to gorge oneself after all… especially in the situation she was in.

With her meal finished, Ysane quickly tossed dirt over the small fire she had made. Like any good hunter, or experienced warrior, she covered her tracks, making it near impossible to trace where she had escaped to.

At long last, the castanic sat back on her haunches. She turned her head back in the direction of Velika, where she knew someone was undoubtedly searching for her…

But Ysane was free. Her debts had been paid perhaps a hundred times over. So long as Athena had sold that armor, she was likely more wealthy than a gladiator could ever hope to be…

And yet despite being so free, Ysane felt as if she still couldn't just leave. She felt as if she owed something more… that leaving in such a way wasn't fair to the one person who had shown her kindness in all these years.

Turning back to Dog, the castanic idly watched him stretch on the floor. Even after he had moved to the creek and left her field of view, Ysane continued gazing at the spot. She was lost, deep in thought, considering what options she had before her. Her eyes slowly shut and a hand travelled to her mouth as the castanic continued to ponder her options.

When at last, her eyes reopened, she had finally made up her mind. A brief moment of focus, and Ysane reached out in her inhuman sense to feel the presence of the one item she had left in Athena's possession.

The blade…

Narrowing her eyes with suspicion, Ysane turned her head in the direction in which she had felt her blade's response. It was moving. Athena was taking it somewhere. Out of the city and along one of the main roads. There was only one possible destination.

Allemantheia.

Finally, Ysane rose to her feet, only one thought in her mind.

" _What have you gotten yourself into now…_ "

With her mind set and her objective settled, Ysane turned to the one last thing hobbling along that was in her way.

She was going to have to do something about that leg…

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

It has been eight months since I have last seriously taken up pen and paper. As many of you know, I do work a full time job now, and it is making it rather difficult to do much else. Time and energy always seem to be lacking, but I suppose that is the nature of "grown up" life. I am, however, slowly easing myself back into writing. I've been missing the freedom of it after all. Hopefully I'll get chapters out on a timely manner, but I will have to apologize in advance as I know for sure that my schedule will be very sporadic. For those of you still following me and following my works, I do appreciate your patience and I hope to see any and all of you in the chapters to come.

-M


	13. Chapter 13

**A Dark Premonition**

"Any idea how much longer we're going to be posted up here? Feels like a waste of time. Could be out there searching for her…"

"… Believe me, big guy… If I had other options, I would be exercising them." Athena answered with a weary sigh.

Several days had passed since the motley coalition had arrived in Allemantheia. It didn't take long for supplies to be replenished, and the size of their ranks even increased by a few members. Still, it seemed as though there were days in which nothing was happening at all.

"Relax, Red," A voice echoed from deeper in the warehouse. "Commander Snark, er- Shark-er-Stark… ehehehe… She's off with the council of elders, gathering intel and doing that commander stuff. We'll be on the move soon enough."

"Said that yesterday, Luna…" Athena answered as she laid down on the table she was sitting on. "And the day before that…"

"She's not a patient one, is she?" Luna commented abruptly, as she stuck her head out of a doorway and tilted her head at Hurk.

"Nope-" The burly man quipped.

"Hey!" Athena snapped with a grumpy sounding growl.

"Just tellin' the truth!" Hurk snorted with a lopsided grin.

"If anyone here has no patience, it's you, meat head!" Athena shot back.

Hurk only chuckled more and raised his hands as if surrendering.

"Just bein' honest here, 'thena… You've been antsy ever since we got here."

"You should be a little more antsy, given that thing you're carrying for us…" Athena replied with a frown.

Nobody had an answer after that, now that it was confirmed what the blade was and what Ysane was…

"Hey… 'thena…" Hurk half hesitantly called out, "Why do you think-"

"I've got the same questions, Hurk. And I want answers, just like you do." The red head cut off her friend, not even needing to hear the full question to know what he was talking about. "All I can say is that she's different. Doesn't mean she's bad."

"Every argon is bad, Red. Can't spin it any other way." Luna butted in as she emerged from the workshop, the cannon she had shown them earlier was in her hands and had a few extra wires and cables hanging off the side.

Both Athena gave the weapon rather skeptical looks.

"Relax, I know what I'm doing!" Luna answered their gazes a little bit too cheerily. "Most of the time!"

Exasperated sighs followed the extra comment.

"You haven't met her yet, Luna. She's…" Athena paused, fishing for the right word.

"She's a threat? A mystery? The next great thing to be discovered? The-"

"Luna, she's a _person_ , not a machine for you to tear apart and see how she ticks." Athena growled back with a warning look in her eyes.

"Okay! Okay, I was kiddin', c'mon!" Luna backed up quickly.

"This isn't something you should really joke about, Luna" Hurk spoke up, a more serious tone to his voice compared to the teasing one he had directed towards Athena earlier.

Luna let out a small sigh and frowned ever so slightly.

"Do you guys really care about i-… Her… that much? I mean you know what she is now…"

Neither Hurk nor Athena answered right away. A few moments passed before Athena took a breath.

"She's… I don't know…" The red head almost gave up, but just as it seemed she wasn't going to continue, she opened her mouth once more. "She's different. And not different in that she's… part _that_ … Unique… in the way that people are different from other people. The way she talks, the way she… You know…"

"Is mean to everyone?" Hurk tried to help out.

"Well yeah, that's part of it." Athena actually agreed, "I don't know how to put it… It's just that you can't _program_ something to be like her."

"Not sure I'm buyin' it." Luna quipped.

"You don't have to buy it if you don't want to." Athena answered, finally tossing her hands up and giving up. "She isn't just some remote controlled machine."

"What Athena means is that we would have known right away if she was just another Argon." Hurk spoke up, sounding the like reasonable one for once. "But she… Ysane… She was a little bit too _real_. Too _organic_ to be another one of them."

"Some big words ya got there, big guy!" Luna interjected teasingly.

Hurk seemed to puff up at that. Clearly, having his pride poked at still didn't go well with him.

"You'll know when you meet her." Athena answered with a dismissive way. If anything was apparent at all, it was that the red head was quite finished with debating the topic. "Well, if we ever find her again."

"Hey Luna?" Hurk spoke up shortly afterwards?

"Yeah?"

"Does Allemantheia allow pets in the city?" Hurk inquired almost randomly.

"Nope. Why?" Luna answered bluntly.

"Well… Uh… There's a dog sittin' in the doorway. Is he yours or something?"

"Dog? Mine? Please, I mean I've always wanted one, but Alle-" Luna stopped as she followed Hurk's gaze.

Dog tilted his head at the three of them before making a soft – _ruff!-_ at Athena.

"Is that a…" Athena started as she peered closer at the dog.

"Leg." Luna spoke up immediately. "It's-"

"Shh!" Athena immediately silenced her.

While three of the dog's legs were like any other, the forth was a prosthetic. But it wasn't any other prosthetic leg; it had a distinct metallic sheen, and a very telltale dim, blue glow…

Before she could say more, however, Dog stood up and turned around, quickly scampering out of the warehouse and around the corner.

"Shit, follow it!" Athena yelped as she threw herself to her feet and sprinted after the dog.

* * *

Adrenaline surged through Athena's veins as she dashed after the fluffy, four legged animal. Was this a stretch? Certainly… But Athena's gut told her she was on the right track. She had exhausted all of her other options, and was at a dead end, but now she had another lead to pursue.

"Stop! Come back!" Athena panted, her voice not carrying quite as far as she would have liked as her excitement seemed to have stolen far too much breath from her lungs.

Still, the redhead ignored her surroundings, intent only on catching up to this odd looking dog. Turn after turn, Athena sprinted after the dog, travelling through what felt like a dizzying maze. Every time she seemed to draw nearer to that wagging tail, the dog seemed to vanish around the next corner, until at last, Athena stumbled into a vacant lot.

Dog stood a few meters in front of her, looking back at her before letting out a low – _ruff-!_

Taking a moment to catch her breath, Athena rose back up to full height and eyed the dog's leg. Sure enough, it was as she expected; a prosthetic leg that pulsated with a strange and eerie glow.

"What… _are you…_ " Athena muttered to herself as she approached dog, her hand outstretched.

Dog reacted by giving her finger tips a good lick before he scampered off to the middle of the vacant lot where an out of place looking crate sat.

A sigh escaped Athena's lips as her hopes of finding Ysane waiting for her seemed to fade, but the warrior approached the wooden box none the less.

"Wait, Athena!" A strong voice called out from behind her. "It could be a trap!"

It was Hurk, Luna was riding piggy back behind him, and looking far too content with it.

"She wouldn't hurt me with a cheap trick like that." Athena answered bluntly before prying the crate open with the dagger on her hip.

With a solid – _thunk-_ , the crate split open, revealing a small, hand sized cylinder within it. One side of the cylinder glowed blue, while the other had small perforations in it.

"Looks like a speaker." Luna immediately spoke up. "Smaller than what I've seen before though, I'd love to take it apar-….."

The elf stopped speaking all at once as several cloaked figures descended around them. Instinctively, she hopped off of Hurk's back and took a guarded stance as more and more shady looking characters approached.

"I'll be taking that." A cold voice spoke up from the entrance of the lot.

Athena whirled around to find Commander Stark rapidly approaching.

"Blythe, Hawke, track the dog. It must belong to that thing. It'll lead us straight to her." Stark continued, "And you, Athena, hand it over."

The red head's grasp on the cylinder tightened as Stark drew closer and closer.

"I gave you an order, soldier." Stark spoke up warningly, "I advise that you follow it."

Athena swallowed unconsciously, but didn't offer a reply; her grip still fast about the metallic cylinder.

"I SAID-"

"It won't react to you." Luna spoke up, immediately drawing the attention of every eye in the lot.

The elf seemed to cringe a bit and use Hurk as a sort of shield from their prying eyes.

"Explain." Stark ordered through gritted teeth.

"Those cylinders that _they_ make are biologically signed. They won't-"

"Bullshit. Give it to me." Stark interrupted half way through and grabbed part of the cylinder.

Instantly, the glowing cylinder winked out and went dead; the pulsating blue glow almost vanishing the moment Stark laid her hands on it.

"You'll break it!" Athena yelped, swatting away Stark's hand in a way that mimicked a mother slapping away her child's hand.

A vein in the commander's temple seemed to bulge before she spoke to Athena, her tone seething and her speech through gritted teeth.

"Then use it." Stark hissed, "And if it's a bomb, then we know what her true intentions are, and our blood can all be on your hands!"

Still unsure of what to do, Athena scrambled for an idea before finally bringing the ported side of the cylinder to her mouth.

"Uhh… Play?" Athena hesitantly suggested.

Nothing happened for a moment… and then-

"Yeowch!" Athena yelped and immediately dropped the cylinder. Two pins stuck out from the side of the tube and pricked her palm, drawing a tiny drop of blood. It wasn't painful, but it was definitely a surprise to the unsuspecting Athena.

- _recipient identified-_

A mechanical voice sounded from the cylinder as it began to radiate a brighter glow.

- _message, play back-_

" _Athena…_ " The voice was unmistakable. There was a pause as if the speaker wasn't sure what to say, a pause that seemed to speak a thousand things without a single word. In the end, Ysane seemed to give up and say something else.

" _They are coming_ … _Leave the city…"_

Another pause.

"… _And since you care about people so much, take as many people with you as you can."_

" _You have two days."_

With that, the cylinder returned to its former, pulsing glow. The message was over.

Silence followed the end of the message, nobody uttered a word as the weight of the warning set in.

Allementheia was about to become a battlefield.

"… Orders, Ma'am?" One of the other soldiers spoke up.

"Bluff." Stark spat distastefully, glaring at Athena. "Pursue the vip. Find it. Now."

"Ma'am!" The soldier snapped off a salute and signaled the others, prompting them to rapidly begin filing out of the area.

"You _can't_ be serious!" Athena finally spoke up in an incredulous tone. "You're just going to _ignore_ her warnings?"

"The warnings of the enemy?" Stark clarified, "Yes, I'm ignoring them. I have more than enough reason to. Great way to trick the enemy into wasting resources, isn't it? Telling them there's going to be an attack-"

"You're gambling with people's lives! The city?!" Athena questioned furiously, "You can't just ignore a threat to the-"

"There will be no attack." Stark talked over Athena's angry tirade. "And frankly, I am even more suspicious of _you_ than I was before. As a matter of fact, you're coming back to HQ with _me_."

Stark turned her gaze to both Hurk and Luna.

"That includes you lot as well. I have more than enough questions waiting in regards to whatever the hell it is you're hiding down in that shack of yours, and you're going to spill it. I've had enough with the secrets you sorry excuses for soldiers are keeping. Guards! Take them."

"Hey! We've done nothing wrong! You can't just-" Luna started to protest before Hurk laid a hand on her shoulder and gave her a warning look.

"But!" She continued to protest.

"We have nothing to hide, Commander." Hurk spoke up for the first time after an unusually long silence from him. "But if it makes you more comfortable or whatever, we will come along without resistance."

Stark glared at him, clearly gritting her teeth behind her sealed lips. Somehow, it seemed as if the commander wanted them to do something rash just so she could have an excuse to hand down punishment.

Athena, on the other hand, was visibly trembling with livid fury. Both of the redhead's hands were clenched at her sides; her knuckles white with the amount of anger held within them. She remained there, steaming with rage until Hurk and Luna moved up beside her.

A gentle tap against the back of her hand finally broke Athena's trance. She looked down to find Hurk pressing the dimly glowing cylinder into her hand, quickly reminding Athena of the object's importance.

With a sigh, Athena did her best to allow her anger to dispel before she took the object from Hurk. As her fingers closed around the cool, silver object, she gave it a small squeeze. Only a single word crossed her mind as she turned and dragged her feet in the same direction that Commander Stark had gone…

 _Ysane…_

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

New week, new chapter. I still feel a bit rusty from not having written for such a long time, but I'm slowly getting it back. Still a long ways to go for this story. Per usual, thank you all for reading and I hope to see you again in the next chapters to come.

-M


	14. Chapter 14

**Unheeded Warnings**

"Well… At least it went a little more smoother than I was expecting it to… Especially all _that_."

"Guess we can thank Luna for that?"

"Ehehe~ Just remember that you owe me one, okay Hurk?~" Luna replied in an exaggerated, flirty voice.

The burly slayer seemed to shrivel up at the sound of Luna's exaggeration. It was pretty uncharacteristic of his appearance, but one could hardly blame him.

Luna laughed as she got the response she was looking for. If anything was apparent at all, it was that she was once again poking fun at Hurk.

The three were currently on their way back to Luna's workshop, their group in surprisingly good spirits despite precious days having passed with no forward progress.

"On a serious note though, Luna… Thank you." Athena spoke up. "Things could have gotten… complicated…"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Luna answered with an airy wave of her hand before she adjusted the canon on her back a little bit more. "Don't mention it, I mean we are a team, right? _Riiiiight?"_

Athena rolled her eyes and shook her head a bit. How Luna managed to keep such a jovial appearance amidst the rather gloomy atmosphere was beyond her. Then again, the elf did manage to weasel their way out of another sticky situation…

* * *

 _Hours before_ …

"… Alright, you three… I am sure you are well aware that we have been keeping eyes on you ever since we came here." A much calmer Commander Stark spoke as she paced about the middle of the room they were in. In the time that had passed, it seemed as though the anger and impatience had slowly left the commander, instead just leaving a somewhat tired and weary woman in its place. "I'll ask once, nicely. What are you hiding from us?"

Hurk fidgeted visibly, unintentionally displaying his discomfort with the situation. He definitely couldn't be blamed for it, considering how he was the physical bearer of the burden they were hiding…

Athena, on the other hand, kept a pretty calm poker face, while Luna grinned far too cheerily.

After a few moments of silence, Stark's expression seemed to sour.

"I am being _quite_ patient. I would much prefer-"

"Eheh~"

Stark stopped and glared at the source of the noise. Sure enough, it was coming from the one person that seemed completely unbothered by her current situation.

"Have something to say, Luna? I've had more than one run in with you, and I know you're never up to something good. Perhaps not always something bad, but usually something that disturbs the entire city…"

"Guilty as charged! Commander Shark!" Luna willfully admitted with a toothy grin.

Stark opted not to voice a reply all too quickly, but she certainly did react in an unsuspecting manner. Rather than respond with angry words or harsh commands, the commander pressed her forehead into the palm of her left hand and sighed.

"So then what is it this time…?" Stark pressed, "And do tell what these two borderline traitors have to do with it?"

"Traitors?" Hurk blurted out before Athena elbowed him in the ribs.

"Oh please, they aren't traitors at all, they're just helpin' me out." Luna dismissed the notion with a completely unconcerned wave of her hand.

Athena could only mutely admire the elf as the slender woman lied and lied again in such a smooth manner. If anything was evident at all, it was that Luna would have made a fearsome poker player…

"And what are they helping you out with?" Stark demanded, her demeanor hardening as she pushed for answers.

"Mmm…." Luna brought a finger to her chin as she tilted her head in thought.

"Be honest with me, Luna…" Stark warned.

Ironic, considering how Luna was effectively lying about the entire situation.

"Argon tech." Luna quipped quickly in response, a cheeky smile on her face despite knowing full well that such black market technology was clearly illegal.

Stark's eyebrow's raised as Luna openly admitted to what she was doing. Both Hurk and Athena mirrored the look, except they had horror written across their faces.

"Luna, I could have you _executed_ for this." Stark warned, "And these two along with you."

"Yeah, but you won't~" Luna hummer happily.

"And why is that?"

"Because…. I'm already done!" Luna declared with a smug smile. It was a look that made everyone in the room want to punch her.

"Do I even want to ask what this next invention of yours is…" Stark muttered with a uncharacteristically weary sigh.

"TOO LATE NOW!" Luna crowed, "KA-BOOM!"

The elf leapt to her feet with both hands raised to the sky.

…

…

…

Three pairs of eyes turned to the elf as if she had gone mental.

"Oh, I forgot to turn this on." Luna snorted and tapped a bracelet on her wrist.

"KA-BOOM!" She yelled again and repeated the same motion.

This time, there was a distant crash heard in the distance, followed by a few shouts and yelling before the sound was overtaken by the ominous whistle of an object rapidly approaching the office they were in.

" _Please tell me you did not-_ " Stark started, but never got to finish.

-CRASH-

"GRMPHH!" Hurk half grunted, half yelled in pain as an object smashed through the window and collided with his chair, sending him sprawling to the floor.

In an instant, the door to the office was thrown open, guards storming into the room with weapons drawn.

"Commander! Are you alright!?" A voice could be heard above the commotion.

"FINE! Fine…" Stark answered in an annoyed tone.

"Eh-hehe…"

All eyes turned to the source of the laughter as the dust slowly settled, revealing Luna standing on top of a nearby desk, while holding a junky looking tube in her hands. Various lights flashed on an off along the cylinder's length, while wires and other electronics hung out of its side. Regardless of the object's junk like appearance, however, there was one telling trait that gave its origins away… An eerie blue glow emanating from the barrel of the cannon.

"Luna…" Stark spoke up warningly.

"Oh relax, it's not a real one, I just cloned their reactor core." Luna brushed aside Stark's accusative glare.

"Reactor core?" Stark repeated, managing to sound not entirely clueless despite having no idea what that was.

"Red and Hurk over there brought me a dead one." Luna quipped.

All eyes turned to Athena and Hurk.

"Is this true?" Stark demanded suspiciously as she glared at the duo.

Athena's mouth opened and closed a few times as she attempted to think on her toes, but ultimately failed. Instead, her gaze shifted to Hurk.

Hurk, being even more lost, only looked right back at her with a completely clueless look on his face.

Though neither openly spoke up, given the situation, it seemed as if they were both openly admitting guilt.

Stark let out a grumble and pressed her forehead into the palm of her hand.

"And you found it unnecessary to disclose this information to me?" Stark grumbled ominously, "You took dangerous technology, dead or not, and transported it to _her_? I could have you court marshaled for this!"

"Bah, cut'em some slack, Shark!" Luna hummed away happily, "They were only doing what I asked 'em to do."

"What you asked them to do was transport illegal items." Stark retorted with a frown. "This is the AAC, not the black market."

Luna shrugged indifferently.

"Black market has some good stuff."

Plenty of hostile glares turned in the elf's direction.

"Sometimes! Sometimes…" Luna quickly added, raising a hand in surrender. " _most of the time"_ She thought to herself.

"Besides, Snark, wouldn't be the first time I've done this. I built a number of things for-"

"Enough." Stark cut off the elf before Luna talked too much.

"What is that thing and what does it do."

Luna made a disappointed look when she wasn't allowed to reveal all the other things she had made, but opted to accept the commander's convenient change of topic.

"It's an arc cannon." Luna answered simply, as if the name explained everything.

"A what?" Stark questioned cluelessly, managing to speak up for everyone in the room.

"An arc cannon." Luna repeated, still offering no further explanation.

"Ahem. Luna, laymen's terms?" Hurk spoke up for the first time.

Luna blinked at him for a moment before making an "oh!" look.

"It's a portable canon with the firepower of a mounted gun emplacement." Luna explained at a thousand miles per hour. "Since it's got a self-sustaining reactor, there's no need to be connected to the Core for power or any other external supply."

"So then-" Stark started, but Luna quickly interrupted her.

"Yes, it has the exact same fire capabilities." Luna laughed before she leveled the gun beside her hip and aimed it out the gaping hole in the wall.

"Luna! Don't you dare-!" Stark warned, but it was much too late.

"FIRE IN THE HOLE!" Luna crowed with a maniacal laugh before she depressed the trigger.

The cannon in her hands roared to life, belching energy bolts into the sky in a dazzling display of destructive power. A few seconds later, Luna pressed a series of keys, causing the cannon the morph in shape. When she depressed the trigger again, a large glowing ball of energy pulsed out before it detonated in the sky with a brilliant flash of light.

"LUNA! ENOUGH!" Stark yelled, finally drawing Luna's overly flashy demonstration to a close.

When the smoke finally cleared, silence permeated the room. Perhaps it was a mixture of awe and fear, but either way, all who had witnessed Luna's creation had no doubt in their mind that this weapon was unimaginably destructive.

"Hahaha!" Luna crowed, clearly quite pleased with her performance. "Can't wait to field test this thing, it's gonna be great!"

In the distance, shouts, cries, and pointing could be seen as a large crowd started gathering. Luna's performance had drawn more than enough unwanted eyes.

Luna, on the other hand, stuck her head out of the gaping hole in the wall and started waving at the angry citizens below. Boos and angry shouts could be heard more and more as they citizens realized who it was that was stirring up trouble in their city yet again.

At the other side of the room, Stark let out what seemed like a hundredth weary sigh as she settled back down into an intact chair.

"You two." She snapped, a hint of her typical sharp edge returning to her voice.

"Uhh…?" Athena sounded and pointed a finger at herself.

"Yes, you, Athena… And Hurk…" Stark continued, "Do you guys realize what you have done?"

Athena swallowed unintentionally.

"Putting it simply, you've aided in a terrorist plot, destroyed property, and caused mayhem to one of our most valued allies in this war."

"Hey, but-" Athena started, but Stark immediately cut her off.

"The punishment for these crimes would be nothing short of expulsion from our coalition. In the more severe cases, you could be thrown in prison."

"B-"

"Annnnnnd, in doing so, they have greatly added to the strength of our war effort. Aren't they helpful?" Luna neatly slid herself back into the conversation.

A heavy silence seemed to hang in the air the moment after Luna spoke up. It seemed to be a mixture of apprehension, hope, and doubt at the same time.

"Luna, while the capabilities of your weap-" Stark started, only to be cut off again by the elf.

"Relax, it'll work this time. The things I learned from what those two gave me got me where I needed to go." She explained, being deliberately vague about the topic.

"If we go by past accounts…" Stark sighed, not finishing her sentence and while also wearing a uncharacteristically dubious look on her face.

"Wait you tried that thing before?" Athena finally blurted out.

"Once." Luna quipped.

"Three times." Stark corrected in an annoyed tone.

"Okay fine, three times." Luna huffed and puffed. "But it's pretty much foolproof now! I just needed that last little push…"

Silence settled between them.

…

…

"Oh come on, I bailed you guys out so many times!" Luna started whining when she sensed that the others still doubted her.

"Look Luna, you've helped us in the past, but you know more than anyone else how reckless you are." Stark spoke up slowly. There was a very careful hint to her tone, as if the commander was making an unusual effort in trying not to offend the elf.

"Relax, I've got a lid on it-"

"Luna, you aren't listening to me." Stark spoke up, her tone slightly harder.

"Oh? I'm listening perfectly well!" Luna replied instantly, "Don't forget who made your ham hands-"

"Luna, the last time we let you 'help' us, you nearly compromised the entire coalition!" Stark finally snapped. "That curiosity of yours and your insatiable thirst to test the limits of _everything_ -"

"RELAX!" Luna let out an exasperated sigh, "Besides, I'm not interested in those power cells anymore. I found way better fish to fry."

"Really." Stark answered, her voice lacking any sense of the care it held before. "Someone like you doesn't just suddenly loose interest in a technology that powerful."

"Really really." Luna quipped, "Argons are far more interesting."

Everyone in the room froze again.

"Luna, you aren't going to get any Argons or any of their technology. The last thing we need is for you to accidently corrupt something with their technology or infect someone with-"

"RELAX!" Luna interrupted again, "Not interested in your normal Argons anyways. I figured those out a while ago. I want the big fish, and I'm going to figure out how she ticks."

"You want the hybrid." Stark spoke up in a low tone.

"No, I want to take apart the hybrid." Luna corrected, "Doesn't really matter if it's dead, the structure will still be the same. Could be an arm… Leg… Ribs… Head… Hey, you know I bet an Argon brain would be one _hell_ of a thing to see!"

Luna immediately felt two pairs of eyes lance into her, the fury was almost palpable in their gazes. None the less, Luna glance back at Athena and Hurk and fixed them with an insane grin.

The two former gladiators only furrowed their eyebrows in response. Luna was simply too much of a wild card for them to understand what the grin was supposed to mean. In the end, Athena couldn't decide whether or not she should be furious with what Luna had just said, or if everything she was saying was a complete and utter lie.

Stark, on the other hand, and pressed her fingertips back to her temples and shut her eyes. The commander knew full well what benefits having Luna in the coalition again would bring to their forces, but was the risk worth the potential payout?

"Luna." Stark finally spoke up a few moments later, her voice rather weary. "I'll let you back in under three conditions."

"Sounds great, I'm in!" Luna didn't even sound like she was interested in hearing the conditions.

The speed of her response even had Athena pressing a hand to her face.

"Athena" Stark continued as if she hadn't been interrupted, "You are the one in charge of her. Anything she does wrong, you are responsible for. Luna, if you so much as even think about experimenting on our equipment again, you're done. And lastly, if you so much as see the hybrid, you are to use everything in your power to destroy it."

"Yessiree ma'am!" Luna hummed, immediately agreeing without even the slightest afterthought.

"Good, now get out of my sight." Stark finally snapped.

* * *

 _Present Time…_

"So… You weren't actually… You know…" Athena inquired rather hesitantly.

"Oh, brains? Nah. I mean I'm curious, but it's not like I don't have morals." Luna laughed off the red head's question, "You seem pretty convinced she's sentient, so I figure it would be better to at least know this… thing… creature…"

Athena frowned at the terms Luna continued to use to describe Ysane, but opted not to press the issue.

"But if things take a dive, don't expect me to just sit around and let her start eating people. I'll kill her." Luna warned.

Athena could only let out a sigh in response. She knew far better than everyone else how easy it was to offend Ysane. In the end, she could only hope that the castanic wasn't going to deliberately attempt to provoke the elf. A rather tall order, considering how Ysane tended to view other people…

"Hey Luna, wasn't the door…" Hurk let his voice trail off.

"She called that cannon out, remember?" Athena started, but Luna was quick to correct her.

"Shit." Luna uttered a single word

"What? Didn't- Hey Luna, wait up!" Athena helplessly called out, but the elf had already sprinted her way back into her work shop.

When Hurk and Athena caught up a few moments later, they found Luna plowing through piles of what looked like junk. Only, after a few minutes, Luna stood back up at full height.

"Nothing missing?" She seemed incredibly confused.

Finally, it dawned on Athena.

"She didn't take anything from you. She just…" The red head paused before slowly walking over to where the sword Hurk was carrying before was hidden. Pulling back the cloth that was supposed to be covering the blade revealed a broom handle instead.

"She was here." Athena stated the obvious.

"What's that?" Hurk spoke up, plucking a small napkin from under the broom.

Unfolding the note, three pairs of eyes read a note that only contained three words.

" _They Are Here"_

* * *

 **Author's Notes**

Hello again, readers. Per usual, it has been a long time since i have posted another chapter. Work has me occupied, which often leaves me with little to no energy left to work on the next installments of this story. I cannot say when the next chapter will be posted as I do not know what my future schedule looks like. For now, things will remain sporadic, I am very sorry. I hope all of you are doing well, and if you have any comments or feedback, please do not hesitate to share.

Until next time,

-M


	15. Chapter 15

**Invasion**

"They are here?" Luna inquired, the elf standing on her toes as she peeked over Hurk's shoulder and read the note for herself. "Thought she said we had a few days?"

Athena's hand shook slightly as she lifted the tiny note from the table.

"Something must have happened. I think?" Hurk hesitantly spoke up.

"You think?" Luna quipped before Athena spoke up.

"She wouldn't lie to me." Her voice was steady and full of conviction.

"You believe it too readily." Luna commented, a frown plastered across her face. "Besides, there's no way an argon invasion would just waltz into Allemantheia without us noticing."

Athena couldn't come up with an answer on the spot. Luna was most certainly correct. Allemantheia was among the safest cities in all of Runeterra. The magical power of the Core made it possible for incredibly powerful security systems to exist. In other words, how could they _not_ know if there was an impending attack?

"Well… I mean Ysane did manage to sneak in here and take her sword back, right?" Hurk spoke up, providing a remarkably logical counter to Luna's point.

"Uhh…." Luna sounded a bit dumbfounded for the first time.

"I… I'm just, I know that she wouldn't lie to me. I'm getting my stuff just in case." Athena hesitated, but ultimately forced herself into action despite the reasoning she saw behind Luna's words.

Both Luna and Hurk shifted in their positions rather uncertainly as they watched Athena gather the meager belongings she had taken along with her.

"What? You going to just stand there, or are you going to come with me?" Athena spoke up without turning around. It was pretty easy to feel the weight of both Hurk and Luna's gazes boring into her back.

Hurk awkwardly cleared his throat before shuffling over to his own items and sweeping them into the bag he was using to transport his own personal items. Luna, on the other hand, continued to stare at the both of them.

"Okay, am I missing something? Where exactly are you going to look for miss hybrid?" Luna pressed for answers, "Haven't we been searching high and low, only to find nothing? Besides, we have Commander Shark crawling up our behinds. She'll come hollering the moment she sees us doing anything…"

…

…

"Y'know that might actually be a bad thing." Athena spoke up, more to herself than anyone else.

"She isn't exactly listening to us." Hurk continued, quickly catching on to Athena's line of thought.

Luna, for the second time, turned her head from Athena to Hurk and then back to Athena. The elf was clearly having a bit of a difficult time understanding the two gladiators that easily understood each other.

"Alright, let's go then! She'll get the point if we walk out like this!" Athena hummed, sounding quite happy for the first time in a while.

"OH! I GET IT!" Luna abruptly butted in, another insane grin on her face. "We're going to make a scene! I LIKE IT!"

As one would expect of Luna's quirky personality, the elf was a bit too eager to jump in once she caught wind of what their objective was…

* * *

 _Beneath the surface of Allemantheia…_

Sweat coated Ysane's skin as she surged after the scattered forces of the invading Argons. Their speed was far too quick, but how was Ysane supposed to know what method they would use to invade Allemantheia?

Ahead of the castanic, she could hear the rumble of the gigantic beast the Argons were using to tunnel beneath the city. In one word, it was a worm. A giant, argon-corrupted sand worm. The creature's typically scale like skin was tarnished and turned into Argon steel, and it's maw no longer opened or closed. Instead, it was a gaping hole, filled with endlessly churning and rotating gears. As the creature burrowed forwards, it consumed, grinded, and crushed all materials in its path, leaving only a network of tunnels behind it.

A vicious snarl escaped Ysane's lips as she predatorily leapt onto the back of one of the Gilgash Guardians, plunging the length of her broadsword into its spine. Electric blue liquid erupted from the wound as the guardian let out a howl before thrashing about side to side in attempts to dislodge the castanic from its back, but the effort was useless. Ysane clung to its back like a leech. Twisting her blade, the castanic ripped the weapon through argonized flesh and bone, cleaving a channel through the giant monster's back. In its death, the guardian let out an agonized howl before it collapsed, the fall of its colossal body sending tremors through the floor.

But while Ysane had brought down one, another hundred stood before her. Worse yet, she no longer had the element of surprise. Upon the death of one of their own, all remaining hundred of the guardians turned about face in an eerily synchronized manner. The castanic held a neutral gaze on her face, a look that was always there, but beneath her lips, she simply grit her teeth.

There was simply no way she was going to get out unscathed…

 _Outskirts of Allemantheia…_

"Feel that?"

"Feel what?"

"Ground's shaking."

Athena's brows furrowed as she looked at the elf rather skeptically. Her gaze then took a quick glance at the small entourage of fellow AAC members that were tailing them. It was awkward, to say the least. The members of the coalition that were assigned to monitor their group remained a semi respectful distance away, yet they were not making much effort at all to disguise their presence.

"Luna, you goin' crazy? It's sand out here. Is it even possible to dig through sand without it caving in?" Hurk made a reasonable argument.

"You know, you surprise me from time to time, big guy~" Luna teased immediately, fixing Hurk with a winning grin.

Hurk only scowled in response, but didn't take the bait.

"In all seriousness though, Argon's aren't alive. They don't need to follow conventional transportation the way that we do. YOU HEAR THAT, NOT SO SUBTBLE PEOPLE STALKING US? THEY ARE BENEATH US, YEAH?" Luna started yelling loud enough such that their followers could hear them.

Bewildered eyes glanced at one another as the following group debated amongst themselves as to what they should do. In the end, one of them finally managed to take the initiative and hurried back towards Allemantheia, intending to alert Commander Stark.

As if on cue, a violent tremor rattled the surrounding area, giving all individuals present a premonition of immense danger.

"Shit…" Athena muttered beneath her breath.

As the tremors grew increasingly violent and unstable, she began to have doubts about her own foolish idea. This was an Argon army they were talking about! What was she thinking coming out here with a mere three people?!

"Hey!" A gruff voice called out, startling the redhead out of her thoughts. She looked back to see Hurk smirking at her.

"Whoever kills the least has to buy the first round." He chortled as if he had already won.

Athena scowled, instantly brushing aside the earlier sense of foreboding she felt.

"Your money." She shot back with a grin.

"H-Hey! Who's going to buy my drinks!" Luna whined as she butted into the conversation. "I bet I out drink all of you! I can't drink at all…"

Both Hurk and Athena let out loose chuckles as they picked up on Luna's complaints, along with the small mutter she let out afterwards.

Those from the group assigned to watch Athena and her friends could only stare in amazement. These three somehow managed to laugh and joke in the face of impending death.

- _CRASHHHHHH-_

All at once, the friendly atmosphere turned grim as a tremendous plume of sand was sent bursting into the sky. All eyes in the vicinity were met with a terrifying sight of a tremendous mutated sandworm as it burst out of the ground and thrashed about violently before plunging back into the ground. From the hole it left in the earth, the synchronized march of thousands of mechanized troops could be heard.

"Hey 'Thena, How long do you think we got till reinforcements?" Hurk questioned a bit dubiously. Even his courage was starting to quake at the sight of what awaited them.

"Play it smart, duck in and duck out. Don't all in. Dive too deep, and you'll be surrounded in an instant. Until the rest get here, we don't have enough for an all-out battle. Aim to delay them!" Athena opted to ignore Hurk's question, instead choosing to make a few solid calls. "Luna! Can you plug that hole?!"

Luna blinked for a moment, a bit star stuck from the scene. A few moments later, she shook her head and gave herself a light tap on the cheeks.

"Three minutes max! Gun will overheat!" The elf yelled back before she leveled her arc cannon at the gaping hole in the floor. The sound of marching machines only drew ever closer and ever louder. But before the elf could even start firing, their plans were instantly trashed.

"NEVERMIND! ZERO MINUTES!" Luna yelped as her fingers began scrambling across her gun.

- _Screech! ROAR!-_

Both Hurk and Athena turned their heads to see a group of colossal behemoths emerge from the hole. One… Two… Three!

Leading the charge were none other than three Gilgash Guardians. With shields raised, the four legged titans rushed forth, protecting the smaller troops that trailed behind them.

"HURK! TAKE ONE! YOU'RE ON YOUR OWN! LUNA STAY ON THE HOLE, KEEP THEM BACK AS LONG AS YOU CAN! I'LL GET THE OTHER TWO!" Athena immediately made emergency adjustments to their plan.

"What about the worm!?" Hurk hollered back as he drew his blade and began advancing.

"Ignore it! We can't do anything about it!" Luna yelled in response. Her gun was already ablaze as the muzzle flared, sending various projectiles towards the hole and troops that were within it. Rather than aiming directly for the argons, Luna opted to take a destructive approach. If she could collapse the hole, then that would be even more effective!

Immediately, the three Gilgash Guardians identified Luna as a massive thread to their invasion. Their azure eyes flashed briefly with tints of red before the lowered their shields and charged at full speed towards the elf.

"Uhh! UHHH! BACKUP!?" Luna cried helplessly. Needless to say, given the nature of her weapon, Luna wasn't exactly the most mobile fighter on the battlefield.

Without a moment's delay, two figures flashed past Luna, charging straight into the heart of danger.

With a heroic leap, Hurk smashed into the foremost guardian, his blade sending a violent smash into the giant's leg. A splash of blue blood rewarded his efforts as the guardian let out a synthetic noise that sounded like a mixture of pain, anger, and fury. Thankfully, his strike drew the desired result, as the guardian immediately focused its attention on him.

Athena, on the other hand took a different strategy. Unlike Hurk, who had strength on his side, Athena used speed. Upon reaching the first of her designated targets, Athena sent a dizzy amount of slashes and stabs at the guardian's legs. Her figure carved an exotic dance as she flickered about.

The guardian let out an infuriated howl as it tried to stomp on the obnoxious human that pricked and poked its legs. Yet, every time it drew close to crushing the red haired woman, she seemed to slip by.

Unfortunately, not everything was going to plan. While Athena was occupied by the first guardian, the second one that she was assigned to had charged directly past, aiming at the elf that was wreaking havoc on the Argons attempting to emerge from the hole.

"Oi! Potatoes! Stop giving blowjobs to the air and help me!" Luna yelled in her trademark vulgar way of expressing herself.

The group of AAC members that were assigned to trail Athena's group finally stopped gawking with their mouths hanging open, and sprang into action. A few members drew bows and loosed arrows in the direction of the rapidly approaching guardian, but lacked any serious coordination. Like twigs, the arrows bounced off of the guardian's shield, doing little more than annoying the giant monster. Without a good commander, these cannon fodder soldiers were practically useless!

"Tch! Fuckin' potatoes!" Luna cursed inwardly, her fire now directed towards the guardian that was rapidly approaching. Cracks and booms echoed into the distance as Luna's heavy canon unleashed a myriad of projectiles into the guardian's form, until Athena finally caught up to the guardian.

"Take THIS!" Athena yelled before taking both of her swords and deliberately plunging it into the nearest surface of the guardian's body. Of course, since Athena had chased after the guardian, that meant the closest target was none other than its rear end!

A horrid screech blasted through the air as the guardian was thoroughly enraged by the humiliated blow. Even Luna couldn't help but gawk and stare for a few moments as she watched Athena land blow after humiliating blow on the monster's rump.

"What are you looking at!? Start shooting!" Athena's words finally shook Luna out of her stupor.

"BWAHAHAHAHA! Stab it in the ass! AHA! HAHAHAHA!" The elf immediately recovered and resumed firing her cannon while verbally abusing the humiliated guardian.

Athena could only roll her eyes in response, but the opportunity to do so did not last long. Within seconds, she was besieged on both sides by two towering guardians. Like a red blur, she danced and weaved about, her slender form swaying gently like a leaf in the wind. But while Athena was able to dodge and avoid her enemies' strikes, the opportunity for retaliation was simply too small. Still, Athena desperately tried to develop some sort of plan, but there was simply nothing. All she could do was hope for Hurk's support after he finished off his own opponent, or perhaps aid came from another source. Gritting her teeth, Athena simply hunkered down and pushed her speed to her limits. Loosing here was not an option. She had to buy as much time as she possibly could.

* * *

 _Beneath the surface_

Ysane's chest seemed to throb with an unusual weight as a sense of foreboding flashed across her mind.

 _Athena_ …

One name crossed her mind. The discomfort the castanic felt was none other than her sense of danger. Only this time, it wasn't exactly _her_ that was in danger, it was the one she had placed significant importance to. _Significant importance?_ Ysane scowled mentally as she shoved aside the thought. She couldn't remember when Athena obtained such a label…

Amidst her distraction, a heavy strike from one of the Gilgash Guardians caught Ysane off guard. With barely any time to react, the castanic lifted her blade to block the tremendous strike. Her actions rewarded her with a painful smack as she was sent flying into the tunnel wall.

Incensed, the castanic grit her teeth and extricated herself from the wall she was half embedded in. Ysane was never one to take much damage in battle. Her form was lithe, speed was her forte, but now her movements were distracted. A quick glance, and Ysane's eyes were met with the dozens of corpses of guardians that she had already taken down.

Simply put, the rate at which she was able to kill a guardian was alarming. A lot of it had to do with the information she already knew about them. Simply put, she was cheating. Being an argon herself, she could visually tell where the guardian's vulnerabilities were. From there, since every guardian was an identical copy of the next, it was a simple task of pinpointing and exploiting their weakness. Yet, just as Ysane took another step forward, intent on exacting vengeance, her chest seemed to throb again.

 _Athena!_

Ysane's face turned vicious.

 _-thump-_

"Stop it!" The castanic said aloud, furious with the own unsettling feeling in the chest.

 _-thump-thump-thump-_

The consecutive beats caused Ysane to stagger a bit before she brought her blade up to block another blow from the guardian.

"What are you doing!?" Ysane was absolutely furious, but was unable to ignore the pounding sensation in her chest. But in the back of the castanic's mind, she already knew the answer.

Athena was hurt. With each injury sustained, the pangs that Ysane felt only grew more intense. With the severity of the last few thumps, Ysane had a grim premonition.

Violently shaking her head, Ysane grit her teeth again before lifting her gaze to the hoard that stood between her and the tunnel exit. Time was no longer a luxury. Whatever it was that Athena was facing, she wasn't able to face it alone.

All at once, a firm look of resolution flashed across the castanic's cold gaze. For her entire life, Ysane spent her life hiding what she was, but now was no longer the time for that. In the face of losing something she had just so recently obtained, the castanic finally accepted what she was at heart.

Argon!

" _Will you hate me…"_ A whispered breath escaped Ysane's lips before she shut her eyes and drew upon the core she had within her. When her eyes opened moments later, there was only a subtle difference. Deep within those cold eyes of hers, an eerie blue glow began to grow.


	16. Chapter 16

**Self-Destructive**

Agony ripped through Athena's body as she collapsed to the floor, writhing in pain. Her leg felt as if it were being devoured from the inside out… Shockingly enough, that wasn't a farfetched description of it. In the midst of her heated battle against the two Gilgash Guardians, Athena had managed to land a crippling blow to one, reducing it to an immobile fortress. But what she didn't expect was for that disabled guardian to self-destruct!

The explosion alone was enough to flatten Athena on the floor, the wind completely knocked from her lungs, but that was only the start of the terror. From within the guardian's body, hundreds of disgusting argonized worms flew from its corpse. Lacking any sort of sentience, the worms simply burrowed into the ground, causing indiscriminate destruction to the surrounding area as they devoured everything in their path.

Athena desperately tried to dodge the shower of hideous worms, but she was already caught off guard. In an instant, several worms had landed on her form. Reflex made her fortunate enough that the worms didn't land on her torso or head, but blocking with her left arm and leg only led to one other possible result…

Amidst the agony, Athena rolled around on the floor, until the pain became too much to handle. In an instant, her eyes flashed with a terror until they firmed with a grim look of resolution. Turning her own blade against herself, Athena lifted one of her swords and stabbed straight into her thigh. A furious scream of pain ripped from her lips as she inflicted damage upon herself, but manage to spear the worm that was chewing into her leg. Seconds later, she inflicted the same wound on the worms that were inside of her left arm.

"ATHENA!" A roar sounded from a distance away.

It was Hurk, who had finally managed to down the guardian he was facing. The Guardian's head was severed from its neck, but the burly gladiator was now facing off against dozens of normal Argon foot soldiers.

Horror painted Hurk's face as he witnessed the sorry shape Athena was in. Things only got worse when the second guardian she was facing took a flying pounce towards her.

"ATHENA!" Hurk roared a second time, but he was in no position to save her.

- _CLANG-_

In a desperate act of self-preservation, Athena used her remaining sword to block the guardian's downward swing. She succeeded, at the cost of having her sword sent flying dozens of meters away…

" _It can't end like this_!" Athena's only thought rang in her head as the guardian winded up for another swing until-

"RAH!" – _crunch!-_

A powerful, crushing blow smashed into the guardian's side, sending the beast toppling over.

Athena's dazed eyes only caught a glimpse of a figure with two massive gauntlets on her arms.

"Second squad, third squad, to the front! Push these disgusting machines back to the hole they came from!" Stark roared.

Forming ranks, the coalition soldiers adopted an offensive formation, lancers in the front, archers in the middle, with clerics and mages behind them. Magic and arrows flew out in an organized barrage as they clashed with the massing argons. Meanwhile, Stark, herself took upon the task of finishing off the guardian that Athena had weakened.

Athena's world seemed to dim slightly after that, before a basking warmth began to fill her body. Dredging her consciousness back from the looming darkness, Athena forced her eyes open, finding herself met with the welcome sight of an elf casting healing magic upon her battered form.

"…T…Thanks…" Athena managed to mutter between breaths of air.

"Reckless," came the elf's answer. Still, Athena managed to pick up on the wry smile on the elf's face, before the priest hurried away.

After a few moments to recover her breath, Athena painfully pushed herself up into a sitting position and pulled a red flask from her travelling pouch. Uncorking the glass, she downed the contents in a single gulp. The bitter taste of the potion flooded her senses as a disgusted look crossed her face, but the red head put up with it. Stronger potions were, after all, not very tasteful, but they were most definitely better than remaining injured…

" 'Thena! You alright over there?" Hurk came hurrying over, the moment after he was freed from his engagement. The burly man had a few bruises and looked more rugged than usual, but he was otherwise free of injury. It was more than apparent that a single guardian wasn't enough to hold him down.

"Fine." Athena waved off his concerns. Shaking her head slightly, Athena pushed herself back to her feet and retrieved bother of her weapons. "Let's go support Luna."

Hurk wordlessly nodded his agreement before turning and rushing into the distance, Athena only a few steps behind.

"Oh! Hey there!" Luna quipped with a cheeky grin as the pair of gladiators arrived. "Here to join the party?"

Hurk grunted and shot the elf a dark look. How Luna managed to keep up such a cheery appearance despite the grim situation was disturbing.

"Aww… I thought you would be happy to see me!" Luna whined, sounding as if she had been wronged due to the glance that Hurk gave her.

"Ahem- How are you holding up, Luna?" Athena yanked the conversation back on track. As she did so, the red head took a few hacks at an overly aggressive argon soldier, causing it to go down in a fairly swift manner. Numbers were certainly the argon's advantage. Alone, they posed significantly much less threat.

"Y'know, there's…. How do I put it? A lot less coming from the hole than there should be." Luna answered with an odd bit of hesitation in her speech.

"Less than expected? I'm not complaining." Hurk answered as he brandished his blade in preparation to advance further and push the argon lines back.

"Missin' the point." Luna quipped.

"Huh?"

"Missin' the point." Luna repeated.

"Yeah, I got that, what point am I missing?"

Luna shot a quizzical glance at Athena before looking back to Hurk, and then back to Athena.

Both gladiators didn't seem to catch on to her line of thinking.

"Really? I have to-"

"Spit it out already!" Athena interrupted, clearly annoyed with the elf's presumptuous behavior.

"Something… _or should I say someone_ is stopping them from coming out in full force."

"Ysane!" Athena's eyes flashed as her eyes immediately snapped to the hole in the ground. With the sounds of argons clashing with the AAC members, it was impossible to see exactly what was going on down inside the tunnel, but Athena could already imagine what was happening within it.

"She can't be alone down there! There's no way she can put up with that many argons!" Athena stated worriedly.

"We're in no position to get in there." Luna immediately denied Athena's hinted desire.

"But-"

"Will you stop and just _think_ for a moment, red?!" Luna sounded angry for the first time, "If you go in there right now, you're going to be more dead than you were when you were getting eaten by worms!"

The red head sulked a bit, but subconsciously acknowledged the truth to Luna's words. If anything was clear at all, it was that Athena's thoughts became increasingly reckless when it came to finding Ysane…

None the less, the trio continued holding their position, slaying argon after argon, until a loud command rang throughout the battlefield.

"ALL UNITS FOCUS FIRE ON THE WORM!"

Hurk, Athena, and Luna all turned their heads to find the horrifying sight of an entire squad of AAC members being smashed into the air before the sandworm erupted from the surface, devouring the members in its massive mouth. The death that befell those members was nothing short of gruesome as their lives were reaped away beneath a mixture of grinding gears and crushing teeth.

"No, NO NO NO NO NO DON'T! STOP!" Luna shrieked, her voice becoming increasingly panicked as she saw several arrows and spells starting to be prepared.

"IF YOU HIT IT, IT WILL SPLIT-"

-BOOM!-

Luna's warning came just moments too late. In an instant, hundreds of spells crashed into the worm, creating burns and piercing holes into its flesh. Another argonized howl resonated through the battlefield as the worm thrashed about. Yet, while some viewed it as a successful attack, three people knew only felt a grim sense of impending despair.

As the worm thrashed about on the sandy floor, chunks of its flesh flew out in various directions, staining the battlefield in a grizzly blue. Unfortunately, the disgusting sight was only the beginning. The chunks that few off of the worm quickly dissolved into molten pools of argon flesh before forming into dozens of miniature versions of the worm itself. In an instant, the fight between the AAC and the argonized worm had changed into the AAC fleeing from the tidal wave of miniature argon leeches.

"Luna!" Athena helplessly looked at the elf for some sort of contingency plan. Needless to say, blades were rather useless against the horde, leaving the canon wielding elf as the only option.

"You want a plan? Here! I've got one. RUN!" Luna yelled before sprinting in the other direction.

"SHIT! GET OUT OF HERE!" Hurk roared before flying after Luna.

The trio fled in the same direction as the AAC members as everyone was forced to bid a hasty retreat. Before the horde of argon worms, the only effective countermeasure was large area of effect spells and other large radius attacks. Over half of the AAC was rendered helpless due to this horde. However, just as the AAC thought things couldn't get any worse, things took an even darker turn.

"Ma'am! The gates are sealed!" A soldier cried out in despair.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE GATES ARE SEALED!?" Stark roared furiously.

"The barrier is up maam! Nobody can enter Allemantheia!" Another soldier wailed.

"Those bastards! They used us as a sacrifice!?" Stark was absolutely livid. "YOU DISGUSTING, TRAITOROUS, ELVES! HAVE YOU NO HONOR!?"

Still, the commanders words fell upon deaf ears as the elves within Allemantheia refused to open lower the barrier. Their selfish acts of self-preservation burned resentment into the hearts of the remaining AAC members.

"I'll remember this betrayal for a thousand years!" One soldier roared in despair.

"I curse your race to an eternity of damnation!" Another cried.

Turning back to the looming hoard, the AAC members could only watch helplessly as the black and blue mass of death rapidly approached them until-

- _Crash!-_

 _-Thump!-_

An object smashed into the space right beside Luna. There was a clanking sound of grinding metal before a deformed Gilgash Guardian's shield ejected a section of metal, revealing a thin framed figure within the folded metal shell. All eyes gazed in increasing terror as they witnessed what looked like a demon emerging from the shell. Blue fire blazed from within her eyes, while all the veins in her body bulged in her skin, creating an intricate network of lines, all of which glowed a very telltale argon-blue.

"Give me that." Her cold, half modulated voice hissed as she reached out and grabbed Luna's cannon.

"W-Whu… uh….." The elf sputtered, utterly star struck as her brain finally comprehended what she was seeing.

Athena, on the other hand, was completely silent. Only in her mind was she screaming _"Ysane! It's Ysane!"_

As everyone subconsciously took a step back from the castanic, Ysane yanked a large panel off of Luna's arc cannon. Soon after the active core was jettisoned, leaving only an intricate network of connectors sticking out of the housing. Without even a second of hesitation, Luna grabbed a handful of connectors and stabbed them straight into her arm. Pain surged through her body, but the castanic continued her masochistic actions. Connector after connector was jabbed into her arm until her entire forearm was littered with wounds. Ignoring the pain, Ysane shoved aside all thoughts of safety and directly used her own core to force the arc canon far beyond its maximum energy capacity.

All at once, the canon erupted with a resplendent blue glow, energy radiated in all directions as the castanic injected the full power of her core into the weapon. More and more energy was collected into the canon until Ysane's own form began to flicker and loose its burning glow. If anything was evident at all, it was that Ysane was putting everything into a single attack.

As her vision blurred, Ysane fought back her own body's cries of agony. Grimly, the woman grit her teeth and persevered until the final moment.

" _Fire._ " The castanic's mouth wordlessly moved.

- _click-_

With a tremendous explosion, a gigantic beam of energy flew from the mouth of the canon. A brilliant blue laser so filled with energy that its core color burned a dazzling white swept into the wave of approaching worms. Everything in the beam's path was incinerated in an instant, even the sandy surface of the desert was burned into glass as the heat blistered away the earth.

Screaming in a mixture of agony and perseverance, Ysane swept the laser a full one hundred and twenty degrees. The beam of pure unadulterated energy cut a swath through the argon horde, annihilating everything that stood in its path. When at last, the beam flickered out of existence, the entire landscape had been reduced to a burned and glassed, smoldering hell. Silence filled the demolished battlefield until Ysane let out a choked out cough.

"… Unmph…"

- _Clunk-_

Ysane collapsed to her knees as the canon fell off of her arm. Luna's precious arc-cannon had been reduced to little more than molten slag due to the energy output that was forced through it. At the same time, blue blood poured out of the castanic's mouth as her own body suffered severe backlashes from the trials Ysane had forced herself through.

Already, the eerie glow that her body used to house had faded; the aura of power she once held was completely replaced with one of decrepit weakness. Her body itself issued a strange sort of burnt smell as a mixture of evaporated sweat and blood steamed from the surface of her skin. Even her eyes had a blank, glazed look as the castanic numbly looked into the sky; her jaw half open with blood still slowly trickling down the side of her mouth.

Everyone around the castanic could only turn their gazes from the ruins of the argon army, then over to Ysane, before finally going back to the battlefield. The sheer destruction caused by the castanic was astounding beyond any sort of weapon they had ever seen.

However, it was perhaps more surprising to see none of them take advantage of the vulnerable castanic. Here, alone, the object of their hatred had come, single handedly providing them salvation from the grim fate that awaited them. When Allemantheia had turned its back to them, Ysane had created provided a new path. Given the state she was now in, it was undoubtedly at a great cost.

Unfortunately, not everyone seemed to appreciate her sacrifice.

"YOU! YOU'RE DEAD!" Stark roared as she shot forward like a bullet flying from a rifle.

Everyone froze for a moment as they watched the commander fly towards the castanic that had single handedly saved the AAC from destruction. Several mouths opened in protest, yet no words were voiced.

"YOU'LL PAY FOR EVERYTHING YOU-MPH!" Stark was cut off as her charge was cut off by a full body tackle. Landing in a heap on top of the commander was none other than Hurk's burly form. Though he was battered, worn, and exhausted from the fight, the proud man managed to muster enough strength to intervene.

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING! GET OFF!" Stark roared as she immediately threw Hurk off of her. "I'll have you court-martialed!" She spat venomously as she sent a kick into Hurk's gut, causing him to curl up into a wheezing ball on the floor.

As Stark rose to her feet and prepared to rush forwards again, a restraining hand landed on her shoulder.

"Please… She saved-" Athena started but was immediately interrupted.

- _smack-_

With no strength reserved, Stark whirled and threw a full force punch into Athena's face. Metal met flesh in a sickening crunch as Athena's eyes immediately went blank. Her body flew back a few meters before landing in a crumpled mess. Blood flowed freely from the red head's semi-open mouth, staining the sand a blackish red as she lay either unconscious or dead on the floor.

Every one of the AAC members could only stare in a mixture of shock and horror as Stark flew into a frenzied rage, attacking her own people as she advanced towards Ysane.

Yet, Stark didn't even seem to notice the grievous injury she had just inflicted on her own soldier. Consumed with rage, the brawler resumed her headlong rush towards the seemingly dazed castanic. While still in her half sitting position, Ysane's eyes seemed to shift in and out of focus. Her cold gaze flickered up just soon enough to see a metal fist come crashing down into her face.

- _clang-_

There was another sickening crunch as Ysane was floored by the blow. The sword on her back flew out of its scabbard as the castanic was sent flying to the floor.

And yet, the pain seemed all so dull and distant to the castanic. Her face was coated with a fresh paint of blood… Blood that wasn't her own.

As if by reflex, the castanic's tongue licked her dry lips, causing a taste of iron to fill her mind.

Blood.

Athena's.

Blood.

…

 _Athena…_

 _Athena…_

 _Athena…_

One name seemed to echo in the castanic's mind with each labored breath of air she took. She tried to drag her battered form back to her feet, but everything still seemed so hazy and distant. Finally, a hand gripped around her neck and hoisted the white haired woman into the air.

Stark had snatched up the castanic with her left hand; her right was wound back in preparation for another strike.

Ysane's gaze barely flickered across the scene before her. Stark… The fist… The blood on that fist…

In an instant, the castanic's eyes seemed to sharpen. Her tongue flicked out again across the blood that trickled down the side of her face, once again recognizing the blood was Athena's. Finally, her eyes settled on the crumpled and bloodied form of the woman she once called master. Unwillingness immediately boiled to life within Ysane's veins. She willed her body to fight, and yet she could not.

 _-woosh-_

- _crunch-_

 _-plop-_

Another fist collided with Ysane's face, stamping another imprint of Athena's blood on the castanic.

" _It's you…_ " Ysane thought, somewhere in the back of her mind. _"It's all your fault… all your fault… all your fault…_ "

All at once, the castanic caved in to her rage. Fury bubbled up in place of the unwillingness she held in her heart. Anger. Revenge. Hatred. Human! Disgusting! Athena! Hurt! YOUR FAULT! Everything she felt welled up and erupted the smoldering flames of wrath within her. Only once in her entire life had this feeling of absolute rage surfaced before, but here, Ysane simply drowned in this single desire.

Destruction.

Staggering to her feet, Ysane's hands balled into fists before her gaze settled on Commander Stark. At the same time an anguished cry erupted from her mouth; emotions of fury, pain, and helplessness all filled that cry before both of Ysane's hands clasped the sides of her head. In absolute agony, the castanic once again pulled forth pure and unbridled energy from her core. Only this time, she disregarded all restraint.

Instantly, violent and unstable argon energy flooded her veins. Her body erupted in a horrifyingly resplendent display of sheer energy, but the energy was far too bright, far too powerful. The air about the castanic rippled and distorted from the heat expelled by her body, and even the flesh and skin on her metallic skeleton began to blister and peel away. The agony was akin to being burned alive from the inside out, and yet Ysane forged ahead, completely disregarding the harm she was inflicting upon herself.

Under the strain, Ysane's form crumpled to her hands and knees. The castanic spat another mouth full of blue blood before she raised her head and glared into the object of her hatred.

While Stark stood stunned momentarily at the sight, the back of her mind immediately flashed with the panicking instinct to flee. The commander felt fear across every inch of her body as though a predatory animal were gazing upon her as prey. Only this time, it was a castanic glaring upon her.

"FUCK YOU!" Stark spat viciously as she ignored her instincts and flew forward with a jet propelled fist.

Ysane's mouth only let out a feral hiss before she mimicked Stark's motions. To those watching the battle, it would have appeared as if the castanic had made a suicidal decision… and yet what happened next defied all reason.

A loud metallic bang resounded throughout the battlefield as both fists collided with each other, yet it wasn't the bare fist that lost. It was Stark's.

The metal, powered gauntlet she wore bulged as the metal caved and bent in a disturbing way before it cracked and completely shattered. Terror only the briefest of milliseconds to flash across Stark's face before her right arm exploded in pain. As the protective gauntlet fragmented and fell from her arm, all eyes were met with the horrifying sight of two white protrusions jutting out of the commander's arm. Indeed, both of these protrusions were the two broken bones of her forearm.

Still, the damage seemed to reflect back upon Ysane, as the flesh and skin shredded away on her fingers and knuckles due to the impact. Below, all that remained was the unsettling sight of a metallic skeleton, laced with blue, glowing ligaments.

Intense agony exploded through Stark's body as she collapsed to her knees. Words weren't even able to be formed as Stark's mouth hung ajar, her ruined arm hung limply at her side like a pathetic piece of meat.

Yet, where Stark had already lost, the enraged castanic was simply ruthless.

A sloppy left hook immediately connected with Stark's dazed face, sending the commander flying to the floor. Like a lion, Ysane pounced on the barely conscious woman. Fists rained down in a manner that went beyond cruel and vicious. Simply put, it was barbaric. Ysane had long since passed beyond reason, her rage had removed all the precision and intent from her strikes, replacing them with brutality and desire to maim.

Even when the skin on Ysane's fists were peeled away through the strength of her own strikes, she continued raining strikes in such a terrifying manner. She didn't want Stark to die, she wanted Stark to suffer!

The bystanders gawked at the unfathomable sight, before one of the soldiers managed to squeak.

"The Commander! Help the commander!"

Finally, the horror struck soldiers bustled into action, some drawing weapons as they pushed aside their acknowledgement of Ysane's previous actions, and instead fully recognized the threat she now posed to their leader. Others, however, refused to step in and aid the commander in killing their castanic savior.

Yet, the moment they neared the violent castanic, Ysane let out an inhumanly vicious sounding snarl before grabbing Commander Stark by an ankle and swinging the woman as if she were a weapon.

All soldiers immediately cringed and swung their weapons out of the way, afraid that they would unintentionally harm their commander.

When Ysane's make shift weapon failed to make contact with any advancing offenders, the rage filled woman simply tossed Stark back to the floor and resumed the brutal beating.

"STOP!" A strong voice finally yelled.

All heads turned to find Hurk staggering his way over.

Ysane continued to thrash the commander.

"YSANE! I SAID STOP!" Hurk yelled, sounding increasingly desperate.

The castanic still made no motions of halting her strikes until finally, one of Hurk's hands closed about Ysane's wrist.

In an instant, the castanic's head jerked around and glared into the individual's eyes who's hand was restraining her.

Hurk froze for a moment, petrified by the gaze he was met with. Ysane's typically cold eyes were replaced entirely with an enraged, blazing azure. The depths of her eyes glowed and shifted like azure, molten energy. With each breath she took, it seemed as if blue vapor escaped her mouth. Every bit of her seemed as inhuman and demonic as the rumors made her out to be. The fact that her body was still littered with countless injuries only seemed to further that fact.

Surprise rocked Hurk to such a degree that the pain in his hand didn't even register until a few moments later.

"Agh!" He abruptly yelped and released his hold on Ysane's wrist. A glance at his hand revealed burn marks littered across his palm.

"Ysane! Don't! Don't fulfill… DON'T!" Hurk could only helplessly sputter as Ysane immediately turned back to the unconscious commander.

Yet, just as Ysane's fist raised once again with the clear intent to continue, a sudden weight was pressed against her back. Something familiar about the grasp… A familiar scent… A color… Red…? In the depths of Ysane's mind, she longed to hear something, a voice, a tease… anything… But instead all she heard were faint breaths of air.

Of course words were impossible for the unconscious Athena. Her presence against Ysane's back was due to nothing more than a certain elf's efforts. Certainly, Luna believed that the action would end up burning Athena, just as it did Hurk, but strangely enough, it didn't.

Behind the awkwardly placed Castanic and human stood none other than Luna, a hesitant and almost cringing look on her features as she wasn't sure if her gamble had paid off…

Luckily enough, it paid off precisely as she desired.

As if recognizing a friendly touch, the blue energy that illuminated Ysane's form winked out like a snuffed candle. Her eyes simply rolled backwards into her head before she fell with a light thump onto the sandy floor.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

Lengthy chapter, but needed to bring this action sequence to a close. Got a while to go for this story, but once again, time for writing is sporadic. I'll do my best to keep things updated at a regular pace. Thoughts? Comments? Please do share! I appreciate everyone who has stuck around with this story so far. Hope to see you in the chapters to come.

-M


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